Photo credit: Bruce Bennett

Concussions have become the topic du jour around the NHL in the last few years, and for very good reason. Nearly a hundred cases of head trauma have been recorded just this season, and with Caps star Nicklas Backstrom missing forty games with concussion the issue has now hit DC  fans closer to home. Despite his highly physical style of play, Alex Ovechkin has managed to avoid concussion so far in his career. Still, he hasn’t been ignoring the epidemic, and for several months Ovechkin has been testing Bauer’s new trauma-preventative RE-AKT helmet. It’s now being worn by several other Bauer-sponsored NHL stars, but Ovechkin was the first to agree to test the RE-AKT — even before Backstrom’s incident with Rene Bourque.

We spoke to C.J. Ficek, Bauer’s Product Manager for Helmets to find out more about the helmet and Ovi’s decision to wear it.

The RE-AKT helmet, intended to to provide more comprehensive protection than traditional helmets, has been in development for two years, and goes on sale to the general public in May. Meanwhile, it’s still being validated by Ovechkin and more than a dozen NHLers including Claude Giroux of the Flyers.

“Two years ago, we looked at the industry and said, ‘We’re hearing about this a lot more, there’s got to be a way to produce a helmet that could better protect players,’” Ficek said. “So we set down that path of doing our homework, working a lot with the medical field, understanding head trauma and concussions and what goes into that, and then taking away all that information and trying to design a helmet that helped mitigate those risks.”

“One of those things we found out was about rotational forces — traditional hockey helmets have always been tested for more of a linear impact, a direct impact,” he continued. “We also found out from the medical field that the rotational aspect comes into play, and obviously hockey is a game of speed and motion, players are constantly twisting and turning and whatnot, getting hit from the side, it’s not always a direct impact.”

This is not the large, clunky variety of padded helmet that we’ve seen on other players – and sometimes in other sports – (Matt Bradley’s concussion-proof bucket was described as having “a CIA transmitter up there” by former Cap Brendan Morrison).  The RE-AKT is streamlined and lightweight, weighing less than many normal helmets. If you weren’t already aware that Ovechkin was wearing a special helmet, you wouldn’t have noticed.

Ovechkin has been involved with the RE-AKT’s development since the offeseason, when he began negotiating an endorsement deal with Bauer.

“He was at the office and we were in the early stages of the helmet, but we were able to show him and walk him and his agent through the helmet, and what it has to offer,” Ficek said. “He had a chance to try it on and he said, that’s the helmet I want.”

Ovechkin lays on the ice after colliding with Mike Knuble in practice (Photo credit: Andrew Harnik/The Washington Times)

Though several of his teammates have been out of the lineup with head injuries, Ovechkin’s only missed games this season due to suspension, and briefly for a “lower-body” injury. Only a few weeks ago, Ovechkin was involved in a huge collision with teammate Mike Knuble during practice, but though the hit was of the type that has sidelined many players this season, Ovechkin appeared to suffer no ill effects.

“By no means is it foolproof, it doesn’t mean it’s concussion-proof either,” Ficek said. “It just means that we have a solution that can better-protect the players, and it helps manage the impacts better than some of the traditional helmets out there.”

Ficek says feedback on the helmet has initially been very good – Giroux continues to wear it, as well as some of his teammates such as Danny Briere and James van Riemsdyk. Steven Stamkos is also involved, though having a Richard Trophy season has gotten in the way. “Stamkos was an athlete that we spoke with who loves the helmet, but he’s also very superstitious,” Ficek said. “He told us up front ‘hey, I’m on a run right now scoring goals, I’m probably not going to change anything at this point.’ It’s one of those things that when he’s ready, the helmet will be there for him.”

As for Ovechkin’s part, Bauer hopes that having the high-profile Russian star aboard will encourage others to try — and buy — the helmet. “I think Alex obviously is one of the most dynamic players in the NHL, anything he does is always in the limelight,” said Ficek. “Definitely if it creates more exposure, maybe if some of the other athletes, some of the younger players coming into the league see that, they can at least try to understand what it has to offer.”

He added; “It’s a cultural shift, we’re seeing it all the way down at the youth level, we’re seeing more and more head injuries and concussions, at least diagnosed, versus the old days when it was ‘you got your bell rung, get back out there’. We’re starting to see a good push of awareness, which is what we want. At the end of the day it’s all about protecting the players, the kids as well as the NHL players.”

Phone interview by Ian Oland, additional reporting by Chris Gordon.

Suffice to say, Mike Green was snakebit last year. The Caps defenseman dealt with freak injuries to the shoulder, knee, and hip and also managed to miss 26 of Washington’s final 28 games in the regular season due to a pair of traumatic head injuries. Green’s 49 games-played were the fewest he’s totaled in a single season since he came up to the NHL full-time in 2006-07. His 24 points were also 52 short of his career-high set in 2009-10.

Tuesday, TSN’s Jermain Franklin caught up with Green after a workout in Calgary and the 26-year-old spoke optimistically about his health, his goals for the upcoming season, and George McPhee’s offseason moves. The two-time Norris Trophy finalist also responded to Matt Bradley’s recent comments about Alex Semin and the Capitals supposed lack of discipline in the locker room saying,”if you’re not going to be committed this year, you’re not going to fit in with our team.”

A partial transcript of the interview is below.

Green on what he’s focused on over the offseason.

“You obviously have to recover physically from the season with your injuries. And then mentally. You know, obviously, we didn’t go as far as we wanted to. It’s been a bit of a disappointment throughout the last few couple of years in the playoffs. But, it’s over and done with. You put it behind you and it’s time to move forward.”

His thoughts on George McPhee’s offseason additions to the Capitals line-up.

“I think we added some depth. We got Troy Brouwer, Ward. We got a great defenseman in Hamrilk. And to top it off: a new goalie. Vokoun is experienced. Maybe that’s what we lacked a little on the backend was experience. And we got that now. Not only that, I think guys like myself, Ovechkin, Backstrom, and Semin need to be the leaders and step up. It’s time that we get committed and we get focused on the grand prize. Other than the travel and the physical side of the game, it’s trying to stay healthy throughout that 82 games. Unfortunately, I didn’t make it. I only made it half-way through. The important thing is I’m healthy now and I’ll make sure I stay healthy this season.”

On why his numbers declined last year.

“When you’re producing and your production is coming throughout the season, it’s usually in a flow and comes in long periods. Anytime you’re out and you’re in, you can’t get that feel for the game as well. Not only that, we switched our game plan up a little bit, and I personally wanted to be stronger defensively. That maybe affected the production. You know, I’m still learning, still adjusting to try and become that complete defenseman. That was one step I needed to take to get there. So now hopefully I can put it all together and be able to do both.”

On his recovery from last year’s concussions.

“Now that I’m better you really realize the symptoms and how scary it is. I’m 100% right now and I’m happy with that. I’m not trying to think about if I get another one or if I put myself in that position.”

On Matt Bradley’s comments about Alex Semin.

“We know as an organization what Semin is about. He’s one of the best players skill-wise in the NHL. Again, it goes back to everyone being back on the same page. I feel that if you’re not going to be committed this year, you’re not going to fit in with our team. I think that’s important that we address that and Matt Bradley definitely brought it out in the media. It’ll be dealt with when we get back for the season.”

Green’s goals for the upcoming season.

“The main goal is the Stanley Cup. In the past, we’ve been great obviously during the regular season and maybe a little too confident or whatnot going into the playoffs. You know, starting on day one, we have to prepare ourselves for the playoffs mentally and physically. I think enough is enough. We’ve wasted enough time here. We feel like our time is now, and we don’t want to let [our chance to win a championship] slip away.”

Click here to see TSN’s entire video interview Green.