Not a lot to talk about in the NHL world of concussions following the All Star Break. The biggest news was the announcement that Sidney Crosby made last night about his injury and his potential return. The fact that he has been skating for a while is good news for the NHL. With the lack of new developments, I have decided to look into past players who have been the victims of concussions. These players are no longer in the NHL, and their head injuries are a main reason why. Without further ado, I bring you the Top 5 concussion victims in the NHL.

5. Adam Deadmarsh- Deadmarsh is a former first round pick of the Quebec Nordiques who has a Stanley Cup ring and Olympic Silver medal in his trophy case. What makes these accomplishments more amazing is the fact that Deadmarsh accomplished them in only 8 NHL seasons. The 5 time 20 goal scorer had to retire at the amazingly young age of 27 because of concussions. He know serves as an assistant coach with the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche, and it is great to see that he has been able to continue in hockey after his playing career was cut short far to soon.

4. Mike Richter- Mike Richter can count a Stanley Cup, Olympic Silver medal and two All- Star game appearances on his impressive resume. Richter finds himself number 25 on the all time wins list for NHL goalies with 301. He had to retire early in 2003 after suffering two concussions in an eight month span. While he was 37 at the time, his retirement is still a shame, as net minders have been known to play a little longer then the players in front of them.

3. Keith Primeau- Keith Primeau was a 3-time 30 goal scorer, and in his time, was one of the top power forwards in the league. He officially retired at the age of 34, but unofficially, he was done at 32 after he suffered his fourth concussion. To this day, Primeau still speaks out against concussions, the main reason is that he still suffers from post concussion like symptoms.

2. Pat LaFontaine- This 7- time 40 goal scorer suffered 6 concussions during an NHL career that lasted 15 seasons. The sad part is that 5 of those 15 years were cut short because of concussions, and in his rookie year he only played 15 games. So consider the numbers he put up, 468 goals and 1013 points in about 10 seasons, and you can only dream about what he could have done had he continued playing. It is a shame we didn’t get to see more of LaFontaine, as he truly was great.

1. Eric Lindros- I’m sure there was not much of a doubt who number one on this list would be. Lindros was a 7-time NHL all star and won league MVP in 1995. He was without a doubt one of the most dominate power forwards to every play in the NHL. After taking a hit from Scott Stevens in the 2000 playoffs, Lindros was never the same again. He had one more good season when he put up 73 points in 72 games with the Rangers, but that was it for the former star. He officially retired at 34, but he was virtually done at 31, which is a real shame to all hockey fans.

Having all of these superstars on this list is very sad. I can only hope that this list doesn't continue to grow moving forward. It is sad enough that Marc Savard will likely be here sooner rather then later. Hopefully steps will be made to reduce the shortened careers of great players.