Basic physics would tell you that the padding inside the helmet would cause negative acceleration to whatever force is coming into contact with the head, and would therefore reduce the force of the blow. This is all the helmet is doing to prevent concussions, which isn't much, it is somewhere between a "slight difference" to a "negligible difference" between wearing a helmet and not wearing a helmet (strictly regarding concussions)
Concussions are a pretty difficult thing to study. All I would take away from this study is that the helmets worn in the NHL are not enough to protect the players from brain injuries. They are still effective in protecting players from other things
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