New helmets could help prevent concussions

Hockey Betting Lines

01/31/2012 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Amid the fanfare and excitement of All- Star weekend a potentially groundbreaking development in the world of professional hockey earned few headlines.

Concussions are an epidemic in today's NHL and although teams and players are becoming more and more vigilant regarding head injuries, it still seems like the league is behind the curve. That is hopefully about to change with the recent introduction of a new helmet developed by Bauer Performance Sports Ltd.

Bauer claims that its RE-AKT helmet, which has been in development for over two years, has been designed with new technology aimed at lessening the impact of blows to the head, which are a leading cause of concussions.

Claude Giroux of the Philadelphia Flyers and Steven Stamkos of the Tampa Bay Lightning -- two of the NHL's brightest young stars -- wore the helmet at All- Star weekend in Ottawa and both are hopeful that the latest technology in equipment can help in the sport's fight against head injuries.

Giroux actually began wearing the RE-AKT helmet in a few regular-season games leading up to the All-Star break, and unlike Stamkos, the Flyers star center has personal experience with concussions. He missed four games in December with a head injury and Giroux is hoping his new piece of equipment will lessen his chances of suffering serious head injuries in the future.

"Head injuries are a serious aspect of our sport right now and as a player, you want to be protected as much as possible," Giroux said in a press release for Bauer. "No helmet is going to completely prevent concussions, but helmets like this one are providing an added level of protection which is important in today's game."

The RE-AKT helmet's main improvement over existing headgear is its patent- pending SUSPEND-TECH liner, which is designed to "protect the head from excessive rotational acceleration when the helmet is impacted." The liner is made of an extremely pliable material that allows it to move independently from the rest of the helmet.

The goal of Bauer's new helmet is to lessen the effects of rotational-force impact, which is thought to be the leading cause of concussions and the biggest factor in the severity of head injuries. Basically, the SUSPEND-TECH liner rotates itself when impacted and Bauer expects that will cause the brain to move less inside the skull. Before the RE-AKT model, helmets were designed only to address linear impact.

"The helmet is very comfortable, fits well and by looking inside of it, you can tell theres technology in the RE-AKT helmet that isn't in other helmets," said Giroux.

There is still so much about the brain that science has yet to figure out, so it's unlikely that the RE-AKT helmet will be the final answer in combating concussions but it seems like a good start.

When talking about concussions, the hockey world usually tries to determine what rule changes could help curb head injuries, but it makes more sense that better equipment will actually hold the key to fixing the epidemic.

Bauer has come up with the best equipment solution so far, but for the sake of a sport that has been plagued by concussions let's all hope the RE-AKT is just the beginning of a renaissance in helmet technology.

Intercaisno Hockey Betting News

<< Bogomolov Jr., Youzhny win Zagreb openers
Zagreb, Croatia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two of this week's top-three seeds, Russians Alex Bogomolov Jr. and Mikhail Youzhny, were among Tuesday's opening- round winners at the Zagreb Indoors tennis event. The second-seeded Bogomolov drilled

<< Kohlschreiber rolls in Montpellier opener
Montpellier, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seventh seed Philipp Kohlschreiber was an easy first-round winner Tuesday at the Open Sud de France tennis tournament. The German Kohlschreiber handled scrappy Belgian Olivier Rochus 6-1, 6-4 on the

<< Leverkusen snaps up Corluka on loan
Leverkusen, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bayer Leverkusen landed Vedran Corluka from Tottenham on loan for the remainder of the season with an option to sign the defender to a longer contract, it was announced Tuesday. Corluka has only manag

<< QPR lands Cisse from Lazio
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - French striker Djibril Cisse will return to the English Premier League after completing a move from Lazio to QPR on Tuesday. The London club confirmed that the former Liverpool and Sunderland forward

<< AC Milan signs striker Prosenik from Chelsea
Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - AC Milan signed striker Philipp Prosenik from Chelsea's youth academy Tuesday. Prosenik, 18, joined Chelsea from Rapid Vienna in 2009, but played just five matches for the second string and 24 for the youth t

Flood rises to top job at Rutgers >>
Piscataway, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rutgers has named Kyle Flood as its new head football coach to replace Greg Schiano. Flood was given the job on an interim basis last week when Schiano decided to take the vacancy with the NFL's Tampa Bay B

In the FCS Huddle: National champ NDSU restocking the talent >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The physical talent in North Dakota State's recruiting class is strong enough on its own. What the Bison gained in the last month might be the difference-maker in putting their recruits, and future classes

Inter bolsters squad with new signings >>
Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Inter Milan moved to offset the departure of midfielder Sulley Muntari with three new signings Tuesday. Colombian striker Fredy Guarin, Italian midfielder Angelo Palombo, and Brazilian defender Juan

Augsburg signs South Korean Koo from Wolfsburg >>
Augsburg, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Augsburg signed South Korean midfielder Koo Ja-Cheol on loan for the rest of the season Tuesday from Wolfsburg. Koo, 22, joined Wolfsburg from Japanese side Jeju United last January and made 10 Bundesli

Aden sidelined for remainder of season >>
Pullman, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Faisal Aden, Washington State University's second-leading scorer, will miss the remainder of the college basketball season with a left ACL tear. Aden, a senior guard, suffered the injury on January 2

FOOTBALL BETTING

Sportsbook Betting

After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.

Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.

Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.

So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.

In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.

For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.

The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.

The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.

NFL Betting Lines

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.