Sakib Ul Islam – The Conversation

Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz loses his mask after taking a slap shot off the mask during game one of the second-round NHL Stanley Cup playoff series against the Florida Panthers in Toronto on May 5, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

May 12, 2025

Maple Leafs’ goalie Anthony Stolarz’s injury highlights concerns about concussions in ice hockey

Kewei Bian, Western University; Carter Goan, Western University; Emilie Anne Potts, Western University; Haojie Mao, Western University, and Sakib Ul Islam, Western University

Incidents like this underscore the importance of advancing concussion detection, management and prevention strategies in high-impact sports like hockey.

NFL player Damar Hamlin’s injury during a game on Jan. 2 may have been a heart injury called commotio cordis. Researchers are working on ways to prevent this rare but often fatal sports injury. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

January 5, 2023

Damar Hamlin injury: Was it commotio cordis? How to prevent a potentially fatal blow to the heart in young athletes

Grant James Dickey, Western University; Haojie Mao, Western University; Kewei Bian, Western University, and Sakib Ul Islam, Western University

Commotio cordis is the result of blunt trauma to the heart, and is one of the leading causes of sudden cardiac death in youth sports. Improvements in protective equipment may help prevent it.

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