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After being pulled from the game, Stolarz went to hospital on Monday. 

The incident has fans outraged online, as questions swirl about what caused Stolarz’s injury, its severity and whether the NHL’s concussion protocols were properly followed.

“If a puck is travelling fast enough to dislodge the mask from the head, that’s a significant impact,” said Dr. Abe Snaiderman, director of neuropsychiatry at º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøRehabilitation Institute UHN.

“And if after that you suffer, even if it was a less severe injury, that’s a second hit within an hour. That’s ridiculous. This man should not have gone back to play. This man should have been taken out.”

What are signs of a concussion?

A concussion is defined as a mild traumatic brain injury, Snaiderman said, which can temporarily affect brain functioning. Due to the intense physicality and fast nature of hockey, he added that hockey athletes are prone to suffering concussions.

Chris Nowinski, the co-founder and CEO of the Concussion Legacy Foundation based in Boston, said that once Stolarz began vomiting on the bench shortly after a blow to the head, physicians had to assume he had a concussion.

“There was a missed opportunity to pull him and assess him (before that),” he said. “That is an area where we need to do better.”

Ravi Menon, a professor of medical biophysics at Western University’s Schulich School of Medicine, said vomiting is a “pretty severe” but not uncommon concussion symptom. In more serious cases, it can indicate a minor brain bleed.

While it’s unclear whether the wrist shot, the elbow, or both caused the injury, Menon said two head impacts in quick succession can have a compounding effect.

“A puck to the mask, speaking as someone who played goalie in my youth, that’s like somebody taking a hammer to your head,” Menon said. “So, two very different kinds of hits, one which could be traumatic and one which could be mild traumatic. Neither of which is good.”

When Stolarz’s mask was knocked off early in the first period, he slightly shook his head twice — once immediately after the impact, and again before the ensuing faceoff. Nowinski says the first shake could indicate a concussion.

In October, the Concussion Legacy Foundation found that a “Spotaneus Headshake after a Kinematic Event” — or SHAKE — predicts a concussion 72 per cent of the time. While Stolarz’s second head shake could’ve been an equipment adjustment, Nowinski says the first is harder to explain. 

Other visible signs of a concussion are if a player is lying motionless, has motor incoordination, balance problems or a blank or vacant look. SHAKE isn’t currently included in the NHL’s criteria for concussion spotters to pull players from a game.

“Had you seen that as a (concussion) spotter … you’d say, ‘Yeah, I definitely need to figure out what’s going on here,’” he said. “It sounds like this is something that should be assessed.”

Typically, Snaiderman said, hockey players are likely to suffer many minor concussions throughout their careers that often go undiagnosed. Those concussions can lead to “milder” injuries having a cumulative impact, he added.

“If I were a coach and I have a player, knowing what I know, that gets hit in the head and the mask goes flying, I would bench him,” he said. “If I see a player getting a second injury and he starts feeling unwell and begins to vomit, he’s out of the game and he’s out of the next few games.

“He needs to go through the concussion protocol.”

What is the NHL’s concussion protocol? 

In the NHL, certified athletic trainers and physical therapists known as “concussion spotters” monitor every game from the league’s central office in New York City.

Trained to detect visible signs of head trauma, they flag incidents to a designated official where a player may have sustained a concussion from a direct or indirect blow, prompting removal for evaluation. 

Earlier in the NHL playoffs, Leafs forward John Tavares was pulled for most of overtime in Game 4 against the Ottawa Senators after taking an elbow from defenceman Artem Zub. He returned before the end of the game.

°Õ³ó´Ç³Ü²µ³óÌýLeafs head coach Craig Berube and Tavares were frustrated the hit went uncalled, Bérubé said the concussion protocol is necessary to keep players safe.

“It’s important to do that, nothing you can do about it,” Bérubé told reporters last week. “We got to make sure the player’s OK and that’s their job. That’s just the way it is.”  

When players are pulled for concussion protocol, Menon said, they go through the “Sports Concussion Assessment Tool” for evaluation, as concussions can’t be detected through any type of functional imaging scan or blood test. 

The evaluation includes memory tests — such as recalling their name, the day of the week or reciting months in reverse — along with reflex checks and eye-tracking. If a player passes, they’re cleared to return to the game.

How long will Stolarz be out for? 

Leafs head coach Craig Berube didn’t confirm whether Stolarz had a concussion or provide a timeline for his return on Tuesday.

The goalie was released from hospital by Tuesday morning and seen smiling with teammates at breakfast.

Still, given he was stretchered out of the arena, Menon said his recovery could take significant time.

“It would be very surprising if it was less than a week or two. But we’ll see,” Menon said. “You want somebody to be able to play for a long time. And if it’s a few weeks or a few extra weeks, that is the safer alternative.”

Bennett, who was Stolarz’s teammate with the Panthers last season when they won the Stanley Cup, said there was no intent.

”(Stolarz) is a great friend of mine, but when I hear that he went to the hospital of course I feel bad,” he said. “I reached out to him. He responded. Never want to see an injury like that.”

As for the league’s decision not to fine or suspend Bennett, Bérubé has moved on.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” he said. “It’s over.”