[November 22, 2009] The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Kevin Gorman column: Full disclosure of injuries optional in the NHL Tweet Nov 22, 2009 (The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Dan Bylsma jokes that his post-practice media briefing has turned into a daily injury report. The only problem with that is the Penguins coach doesn't always detail the nature of the injuries. "You always are dealing with them throughout the year," Bylsma said. "Certainly, we want to make sure the players who are playing are protected by how we report the injuries and what we talk about." Or, more to the point, what they don't. The NHL is in its second season of a policy that gives teams the freedom of deciding whether or not to fully disclose the specifics of injuries, and the Penguins' recent rash makes them look like a M*A*S*H unit. While those that require long-term absences -- like Maxime Talbot's shoulder surgery -- are made available to the media, there is a belief in the NHL that disclosing details puts players at a competitive disadvantage. Bylsma has introduced "maintenance day" as a cover for players missing mid-season practice or games because of bumps and bruises. Expect him to become even more tight-lipped come March. "The bottom line is, no matter how you do it, from a management standpoint, you're trying to protect your player. It's not to withhold information from your fans or whatever," Penguins general manager Ray Shero said. "When you go to the playoffs, it's different. It's a blackout for everybody. You're not disclosing anything." Mysteries can exist even during the regular season, when some are simply designated as "upper body" or "lower body." That can put pressure on players to keep the nature of injury confidential from the public. "The hardest thing for them is when people come up to them, whether it's the media or fans, they feel bad," Shero said. "They want to be able to say, 'it's my shoulder or whatever.' We tell them to throw it back to us. It's our policy." Where the NHL leaves the decisions in the hands of its teams, the NFL requires daily injury reports. Talbot, the Penguins' NHL Players Association representative, said the injury report "hasn't been on the agenda on the latest phone calls" but could be a topic when the collective bargaining agreement expires in two years. While Penguins winger Bill Guerin would prefer the NHL provide full disclosure, he doesn't think the privacy is a problem for players. "It depends on the guy's personality, how well he can (bluff) the media," Guerin said. "Certain guys are going to get more nervous about it: what do I say? Other guys will look you straight in the face and tell you a lie." Count Penguins captain Sidney Crosby among those who believe not every injury needs to be publicized. There is a feeling in the dressing room that disclosing specifics only puts a bull's-eye on that player's body part. "If I have something that's tweaked or bothering me, I don't think that everybody should know that," Crosby said. "You don't need a guy slashing your foot because he knows you have a bruised foot from a blocked shot. If they find that on their own because they see the video, that's fine. I don't think it's something you have to announce." Adds winger Matt Cooke: "If I'm hurt, I don't want anybody to know about it anyways because it's an attraction for other teams. The less information out there the better for me." While the new NHL injury policy might have a direct link to former Penguins forward Gary Roberts taking a shot at Detroit's Johan Franzen -- who missed part of the 2008 playoffs with a head injury -- in the Stanley Cup final two years ago, Guerin doesn't think "targeting" is a common thing. "If you know an opposing player's been hurt, you're just going to make him play harder," Guerin said. "You'll make him work harder. You'll finish your checks on him. But targeting a specific injury, I personally think there's too much going on in the game for that. Then again, maybe I'm wrong." Kevin Gorman can be reached via e-mail or 412-320-7812. To see more of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/. Copyright (c) 2009, The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]