Dr. Paul Comper is trading his Toronto clinic for Italian rinks as he heads to the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.
The clinical neuropsychologist at UHN’s Toronto Rehab and an affiliate scientist at KITE Research Institute is supporting the NHL Players’ Association (NHLPA) to assess and advise athletes who experience concussion — a type of traumatic brain injury (TBI) — during the games.
Combining his decades-long research and clinical work in neuropsychology with his love of the game, Dr. Comper says working as a neuropsychology consultant and co-chair of the Concussion Committee for the NHLPA is a perfect fit.
"You're not going to say no to professional sports when it comes knocking at your door," he said with a laugh.
The Winter Olympics take place in venues around Milan and northeastern Italy from Feb. 6 to 22. Twelve teams will compete in hockey matches beginning Feb. 11, with the gold medal game set for Feb. 22.
Dr. Comper will be there for all of them, ready to respond to signs of concussion in more than 150 NHL players.
"Hopefully, it won't be too busy."
For more than 25 years, Dr. Comper has supported patients as part of Toronto Rehab’s Outpatient Brain Program. He helps patients transition from acute illness back to everyday life by assessing their neurocognitive fitness following TBI.
He also co-leads the
Hull-Ellis Concussion and Research Clinic at Toronto Rehab, conducting research to improve how patients are treated for concussion.
How doctors monitor hockey players for concussion
Preparation for the Olympic Games start before players hit the ice.
Each undergoes baseline neurocognitive assessments before their first game of the season, including the Sport Concussion Assessment Test 6 (SCAT6) and ImPACT, a computerized neurocognitive test.
That gives medical professionals a benchmark understanding of players’ cognition before a concussion happens.
If a player is later injured on the ice, and concussion is suspected or confirmed, several protocols are initiated — and experts, including Dr. Comper, are brought in for additional rounds of assessments that inform an athlete’s fitness to play.
"We've been doing this for a long time in the NHL — 25 to 30 years — and the protocol has really been perfected and ironed out," he said.
In a fast-paced game like hockey, where concussions can happen suddenly, keeping a watchful eye is essential.
At the Olympics, the NHL will rely on camera feeds capture the action.
A New York-based team of spotters pay close attention for situations that may cause concussion — a player taking a hard fall, hit to the head, sliding head first into the boards or, potentially, getting into an altercation.
"That triggers an alert to the medical staff for a player to be examined," Dr. Comper explained.
Shifting perceptions on long-term effects of head trauma
Over the past decades, there has been growing awareness of the long-term effects of traumatic brain injuries in sport, such as permanent neurological deficits or behavioural changes caused by repetitive head trauma — also known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
"In the old days, it was, 'Well, you feel fine, your symptoms have mostly recovered and so, therefore, you’re good to go,'" he said.
"The problem is we now know that sometimes physiological healing takes a lot longer than functional recovery."
Dr. Comper's work with players who have been diagnosed with concussions continues beyond a single game.
While he is not responsible for returning players to play — team physicians ultimately make that call — he works as an adviser, providing recommendations based on whether test results are normal or abnormal compared to a player’s baseline results.
While there is immense pressure and passion that comes with representing your country on the Olympic stage, Dr. Comper says most players are no longer willing to risk their futures for more ice time after an injury.
"We want to make sure that players are recovered," he said. "Players have had concussions and they've recovered and they've had great careers."
"It's not all doom and gloom, but care and prevention up front is the key."
