Wayne Gretzky applauded the use of centralised concussion spotters as part of the NHL's effort to better protect players.
"When I played - one of my kids asked me if I ever got a concussion - I can honestly tell you I don't even know," said Gretzky, who was representing the Edmonton Oilers as a partner and vice-chairman.
"Because in those days they'd say, 'Take two aspirin tonight, tomorrow you're going to skate for an hour and we're going to sweat it out of you.' That's what we did."
Gretzky spoke Friday as league owners and its Board of Governors wrapped up two days of meetings. It was his first board meeting since leaving the Arizona Coyotes in 2009.
The NHL this season began using concussion spotters located at a central location, watching on television, to help decide if a player should be pulled out of a game for a potential head injury.
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The league has not released details or results from the first two months of the season, though players have generally supported the move even as a class-action lawsuit is pending against the league over its handling of injured players.
"We have so much more knowledge now from the doctor side of thing, from the trainers, from the players themselves and yet there's so much more to learn about it," Gretzky said. ""Is everybody perfectly happy when the best player gets pulled off? No. But it's protocol, that's what the rules are and you've got to live with it."
Oilers star Connor McDavid recently took issue with being pulled off the ice after he tripped over Minnesota Wild forward Jared Spurgeon's stick and hit his chin on the ice. He reached up and grabbed his chin and that reaction was enough for the NHL's concussion spotter to call for him to be taken off.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said the spotter protocol has been discussed by the board and will be again in the next couple of months.
