-for-11 against Cincinnati before he was hurt.H

NEW YORK -- Connor McDavid hit the ice, chin first, and a concussion spotter at least played a part in pulling him from the game.The Edmonton Oilers captain and budding star was not stunned by the jarring trip to the ice, but that someone watching him play recently against Minnesota determined he should be evaluated for a concussion.A few days later, McDavid still wasnt happy he missed the last several minutes of the second period against the Wild before being cleared to play in the third in a game the Oilers lost in overtime.It happened at an important time of the game and it could happen at even worse times, McDavid said Tuesday. You know, what if its overtime or its a playoff push or its late in the third period and stuff like that? I think they definitely have to take that into consideration.Welcome to the NHLs latest attempt to keep players healthy -- at least above the shoulders -- as they get bigger and faster and the stakes get higher on the ice and in court.I think its a good thing, Washington Capitals defenseman Brooks Orpik said. Unfortunately, I think litigation is what finally brought it to this.The NHL is facing a class-action lawsuit over head injuries suffered by former players alleging the league had resources to do a better job preventing head trauma.This season, the league has touted enhanced changes to its concussion protocol, including adding a staff of nationally certified athletic trainers with hockey experience to monitors games on TV from NHL headquarters in New York with the power to remove players from games.Two months in, the NHL has declined to say how many players have been pulled off the ice by the anonymous spotters, nor is it detailing their diagnosis rate.The truth is, it may be tricky to track who makes the call when a player is called off the ice. Is it a spotter at league headquarters? An in-arena spotter? The medical staff behind the benches?And even with all those layers of observation, some concussions slip through the cracks and simply arent diagnosed during a game.Pittsburgh Penguins forward Patric Hornqvist provides a recent example.Hornqvist wasnt spotted by anyone remotely or up close in Washington on Nov. 16 for a possible concussion, but recalled telling the teams trainer he felt a little off, after the game and went through testing to determine if he had a concussion. He did get diagnosed with a concussion and was out for two weeks, but he doesnt blame anyone for missing signs during the game.You probably get hit every single shift, so they cant take you out after every single shift, Hornqvist said.Detroit Red Wings forward Johan Franzen, meanwhile, said he doubts hell play another shift of hockey. Franzen has not played since Oct. 10, 2015, because multiple concussions -- perhaps 10 of them, he said -- have affected his vision, given him headaches and made him so tired he has slept for two or three straight days.I think having spotters is a step in the right direction, but theres almost too much pressure on them and its only going to get worse in the playoffs, said Franzen, who had 18 postseason points in 2008 when he helped the Red Wings win their last Stanley Cup. When one of the best players gets taken out of the game, he, the coach and the GM may not like it. I do think its better for the players, but I dont have all the answers.STAY OR GOThe NHLs board of governors is scheduled to meet Thursday and Friday in Florida. The group is expected to discuss its possible participation in the 2018 Olympics. The NHL Players Association recently rejected the leagues offer to agree to a deal to allow the worlds best hockey players to go for gold in South Korea in exchange for extending the collective bargaining agreement through 2025.SCOTT FREEThe NHL announced Montreals Carey Price, Chicagos Patrick Kane, Pittsburghs Sidney Crosby and McDavid were leading their divisions in votes by fans for the All-Star Game. The league released the top five players in each division and none of them seems to be an out-of-place journeyman like John Scott, who was voted into last years game as a lark. Scott ended up being the All-Star MVP in part because he played despite objections he said he got from the NHL.GAME OF THE WEEKThe Western Conference-leading Chicago Blackhawks host the New York Rangers on Friday night. The Rangers are tied with Pittsburgh atop the Metropolitan Division.---AP Hockey Writers John Wawrow, Stephen Whyno and AP Sports Writer Will Graves contributed to this report.CINCINNATI -- The Cleveland Browns lost rookie quarterback Cody Kessler to a concussion with 7 minutes, 27 seconds left in the first half of Sundays 31-17 loss to the Bengals.Rookie Kevin Hogan took over for Kessler. Earlier in the game, Hogan became the sixth quarterback in seven games this season to take a snap for the Browns when he ran three read-option plays.But when Kessler was sidelined, the game belonged to Hogan. He followed Robert Griffin III, Josh McCown, Terrelle Pryor, Charlie Whitehurst and Kessler at quarterback.Hogan finished 12-of-24 for 100 yards and two interceptions in the Browns loss, which kept Cleveland (0-7) winless this season.These quarterbacks only have so many these hits in their body, you know? Pretty soon, guys dont get up all the time, and thats whats been happening. Its unfortunate. Its just been happening way too much, Browns coach Hue Jackson said.?Hogan spent the first five games of the season on the practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster Oct. 11 after Whitehurst was injured.He battled as hard as he could for a guy that, again, doesnt get a ton of reps, but enough to do what hhe did, Jackson said.ddddddddddddackson added that theres a chance McCown will be able to play next Sunday against the New York Jets.Well see. Again, well evaluate everything on Monday and see where he is and go from there, he said.Kessler had played better than expected in starting five games; he was 9-for-11 against Cincinnati before he was hurt.Hogan said, there were some plays Id like back, but overall I felt very comfortable out there, and confident.Hogan said he hopes Kessler makes a speedy recovery but he is going to do everything I can to make sure Im ready.According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Browns are the first team since 1987 (Eagles, Patriots and Broncos) to have at least six different players throw at least one pass in the first seven games of a season.That was during the strike season that featured replacement players.The last team to use six quarterbacks in the first seven games in a non-strike season was the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who went 0-14 in their first NFL season. ' ' '