A link between concussions and chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the brain disease commonly known as CTE, "remains nascent," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman reiterated in his response to a recent inquiry by a United States senator.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., a member of the Senate’s Consumer Protection subcommittee, requested last month that Bettman explain the NHL's stance on the effects of head injuries in hockey. Bettman, long dismissive of claims linking CTE to the sport, returned a 24-page letter Tuesday that did little to answer Blumenthal's specific questions directly and repeatedly accused the news media of blowing the issue out of proportion.