Not if, but when

by oldtimehockey09 on Nov 2, 2009 10:31 PM EST

OK folks, so a few weeks into the season there have been some great goals, great saves and great hits. There is nothing in the world like the game of hockey. the NFL is about 1/4 speed, basketball is actually a tall mans version of soccer, and baseball is at its core is about individual achievement (pitcher vs hitter). But the one thing that stands out is the rash of dirty, late, and just ill intentioned hits.

So what can the NHL do about it? Well in an article by SI.com's Darren Elliothe seems to point towards the NHLPA's unwillingness to bend on mandating shoulder pads and elbow pads no longer having the hard plastic end caps on them. Now for those of you folks who haven't played a competitive game, let me just let the cat out of the bag. ITS NOT THE BLASTED PLASTIC CAPS YOU DOLT!

Honestly my jaw hit the floor when i read this and thought to myself "what is this guy smoking because i want some too". But this article did serve a purpose, and i think that it was intended to get everyone thinking about what the NHL should do to prevent hits like

Now look, i have been and always will be a proponent of the "don't skate with your head down" mentality. but with that being said i think its safe to say something has to be done about the "grey area" that exists. It is just mind boggling to me that the NHL in all its wisdom (oxymoron kinda like military intelligence) established what a low hit is, established that going knee to knee is no good, but has as of yet established anything about head shots. Does anyone else find this fascinating? Seriously watching and listening to some of the explanations about why head shots aren't considered is amazing. "You should never skate with your head down". That mind set allows the hitter to do hist work with out any consideration of the consequences. "He had his head down, so i tried to separate it from his neck". Thats what you saw with the richards hit, it really doesnt matter if you look at it in slow mo, super slow mo, or doppler radar homer vision, at full speed he targeted his head. Same think with Panuef. meanwhile, Steve ott literally tried to seperate a guys legs from his hips.

Look, the bottom line is that all the other sports have measure to protect the players. No more helmet contact, no more horse collars, no more shots to the head, no more late hits on the qb. You plunk a guy in baseball, you better be read to get a fastball in the ear hole. So the question is not if, but when.....

When someone gets killed, will the nhl do something then? It nearly happened in the ohl. Lets stop beating around the bush here. You hit someone in the head, your suspended for 25 games. You board some one, 25 games, and if someone is injured because of your illegal hit, 35 games plus 1 game for each game that player misses. you end his career, you just ended yours.

problem solved

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I definitely think head shots are a serious concern in the league. Obviously you have guys like Patrice Bergeron, Simon Gagne and Mike Smith (to name a few) who stand as examples of guys who suffered severe head injuries. I know not all of those guys were victims of cheap shots or dirty hits per se, but each of them has dealt with concussions and post-concussion issues at some point in their careers.

The league just slapped Anaheim’s James Wisniewski with a two-game suspension for this hit to Shane Doan’s head. This confuses me a bit. The shoulder did the damage. Not an elbow. Not a clothesline. The shoulder. Isn’t the part of the pads a guy is allowed to hit with? At least, that’s what I thought when I saw the lack of a suspension for Mike Richards’ hit on David Booth. Wasn’t the argument that Richards led with his shoulder and didn’t leave his feet?

I’m really baffled by what the league determines as dirty and what the league determines as legal. Mike Richards delivered a shot to David Booth’s head with his shoulder that, according to the league, was clean and Booth leaves on a stretcher and Richards receives no suspension. Wisniewski leads with a shoulder, which was already deemed a clean hit by Richards standards, and Doan stays IN THE GAME and is NOT taken off on a stretcher and this warrants a two-game suspension?

Every day I’m convinced even more that the league just spins a giant wheel in the office that determines a player’s punishment for a “questionable” hit.

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by FrankD on Nov 3, 2009 4:00 AM EST reply actions

Could Wisniewski’s hit be the start of a precedent? I think maybe so. The league used a minor (in comparison to Richard’s hit) hit that no one would talk about, because the other hits mentioned above were so fresh in everyone’s mind, to create a precedent that now can serve as the “updated” version of the rule.

This is typical Bettman policy, do not do anything when the general public is in an uproar, but still accomplish what most people believe is the “right” thing. The Richard’s hit was by a “star”, the Wisniewski hit was not. By not using the Richard’s hit as an example to change the rules, the controversy was never decided. (It followed the rules…but) He closed some of the gray area involved on a “minor” head hit that allows for stricter punishment whem Richard’s headunts again. (and he will, the dirty SOB!)

I think Bettman is a horrible commissioner for the game itself (I like ties, not shootouts; and center red should mean something other than the place where they drop the puck at the beginning of periods), but he is a GRAND marketer and political correctness advocate. He got what he wanted (an update to the rules) and he also got the controversy and the PR that goes with it.

by Ulf Murphy on Nov 3, 2009 9:04 AM EST reply actions

I like ties, not shootouts; and center red should mean something other than the place where they drop the puck at the beginning of periods

Come on, how can you hate on the shootout? Both teams get a point for playing a good game, and we get to watch some of the best talents in the world go head to head. Granted I have some problems with the variations in how the games are reffed, and their disciplinary system is completely out of whack, but considering the state of the NHL around the time of the lockout I think Bettman’s done OK in the last 4 years.

The NHL is still trying to find that sweet spot between fast-paced, highly skilled action and tough as nails, take your head off action. They’re getting closer, but they’ve only been working on it since 2005 so give them a little time. There’s still a lot of guys in the league that made it to the NHL by bashing heads.

by puckhead45_82 on Nov 3, 2009 3:07 PM EST up reply actions

Hockey is a team sport and the game itself has proven time and time again that individual talent, although important, is not the deciding factor in winning and losing games, ala baseball, basketball and, in some circumstances, football. I beleive that the extra point should be earned, not through individualistic gimmicks, but through team work during regular/OT play. Obviously the governing body does not agree with me and they instituted the shhotout to create more buzz and to showcase the individual talents and marketability of their stars. I just find it amusing that many of the shootout participants are European third liners or defensemen that grew up on the bigger rinks where this type of talent is better served, not the superstars the NHL intended. remember when Erik Christiansen was, by far, the leader in shootout percentage for the Pens? Where is he now? Just my take.

by Ulf Murphy on Nov 3, 2009 4:19 PM EST up reply actions

Good case study. I definitely agree that the league needs to change the players’ behavior by penalizing them. Over at Japers Rink right after the Booth hit they had a great discussion, including how NFL players have more respect and show more restraint than NHL players.

And I think that’s because NFL players know, if they hit from behind it’s gonna be a penalty for sure and you just negated whatever they did. In the NHL you might not even catch 2 minute minor for a savage hit that a player could have let up on.

I do think they need to crack the whip when it comes to suspending for hits to the head. I do think the original point of suspensions for an entire career are a little over-the-top and unrelatistic though.

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by Hooks Orpik on Nov 3, 2009 12:13 PM EST reply actions

theres a old rule in upper level management

if you want to change the mindset, you need to institute a rule. then you need to make an example of the first offender.

" Lord Stanley, scratch thier names on your fabled cup" Mike Lange june 12, 2009

by oldtimehockey09 on Nov 3, 2009 1:39 PM EST up reply actions

Good point about NFL players. I actually read a book on that whole NFL code, from the same guy who wrote the Hockey book about the fighting code (his name escapes me at the moment). Certain elements and respect exist in the NFL that you likely won’t see in hockey. For example, punters are notoriously “small” compared to a huge lineman/linebacker/safety. During a punt, it’s respected and at times even standard for a charging defenseman who has a clear run at the punter to scream the punter’s name as he gets closer and closer, sorta like a warning that he’s coming. One punter in particular claimed Chicago’s William “The Fridge” Perry would do this at times when he could’ve easily laid the punter out (and probably not taken a penalty).

Now, would this be the case with a guy trying to handle the puck in the corners? Even though hits from behind are illegal, you can still take to the body and throw a guy off guard. Could you see something like this existing in hockey? I can’t. Nor can I really see T. Ruutu telling Darcy Tucker to watch out, or Mike Richards yelling to David Booth “here I come!” Honestly, I think that Wisniewski hit was as much Doan’s fault as the league claimed it was Wiz’s. He didn’t come from out of nowhere and he literally stood him up at the line. It’s not Wisniewski’s fault that he played the man the way he was supposed to and Doan was injured because he had his head down. And no, I’m not one of those guys to claim every guy who gets hit has his head down, but if you look at that clip you can see that Doan really did set himself up for that one. No defenseman is going to back off and potentially allow an offensive drive because the opposing player has his head down.

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by FrankD on Nov 3, 2009 1:54 PM EST up reply actions

but thats exactly the point that im argueing

im not by any means saying we eliminate contact, quite the contray. however i am saying the nhl needs to elimnate head shots. its absurd that its illegal to hip check a guy at the kne but its not illegal when you try to make his head a permenant part of your shoulder pads. injuries happen all the time, its the nhlpa, the nhl, and the officials job to protect the players. allowing the head shots to continue does not do that.

" Lord Stanley, scratch thier names on your fabled cup" Mike Lange june 12, 2009

by oldtimehockey09 on Nov 3, 2009 3:48 PM EST up reply actions

some more thoughts on this

The more i think about it, the more similarities i see between todays nhl and the NFL circa late 80’s early 90’s. Back then guys like tony mandarich (remember him?) were considered beasts…freaks of nature even. and as more and more big names suffered severe injuries the league came to a realization.

it wasnt thier fathers nfl anymore.players were bigger, stronger, and faster then ever before and in order for them to survive they had to find a way to protect the players. that lead to major advancements in shoulder pad design, helmet design, and major rule changes. Hitting a guy as he was going out of bounds wasnt a penalty back then.. it is now. then you have the “carson palmer rule”, no hitting below the knee. helmet to helmet contact penalties were instutued. Now the NFL is the cream of the crop as far as entertainment value goes. you dont see guys like big gen, drew breese, adrian peterson, brett farve, or ladanian tomlinson get injured due to brutal hits. now its just part of the game. we all know injuries happen but the fact is the nhl is the only league that doesnt effectivly protect its palyers.

they are bigger, stronger, and faster then ever before

" Lord Stanley, scratch thier names on your fabled cup" Mike Lange june 12, 2009

by oldtimehockey09 on Nov 3, 2009 1:36 PM EST reply actions

Agreed. Remember when Tony Granato wore the “oversized” helmet due to the concusions he had experienced? We have had the helmet technology for more than a few years, the players just choose to not adopt. Heck, I clearly remember MacTavish as the last without wearing a helmet and Gretzky’s “toy” helmet. The NFL has mandated helmets of some form for at least 70 years, I think.

by Ulf Murphy on Nov 3, 2009 2:35 PM EST up reply actions

Well, the NFL has it’s own concussion issues that it is currently dealing with. I think one of the problems with the NHL outside of the fact that these headshots are not againts the rules, is that players don’t seem to want to change. How many goalies do you see that still don’t wear the Neck guard like MAF. Cam Ward is one and he isn’t even old school. I feel that if the NHLPA wanted to do something about this they would. Or, perhaps their pride gets in the way.

by PensFan024 on Nov 3, 2009 3:04 PM EST up reply actions

I think all of have seen enough in the last two months to judge what the NHLPA can do… I would say “close to nothing”… for some reason (I have no idea why!) the NHL players seem uninterested in fighting for their rights and health… the union is a mess and I don’t see any clear initiative or intention to take care about their own safety…

I’m from Europe and don’t follow the NFL closely, but it seems the League itself managed things quite well there and the NHL should do the same… they decided and enforced the rule changes to make games more open… why they haven’t done anything about it yet is difficult to understand for me…

I’m really worried that something tragic would soon occur the way it’s going… I watched the Richards on Booth hit as it happened… and then the seconds… and minutes in which everything stands still… and nothing else matters any more… I was scared then… and I don’t think the players… the fans… and the game deserve to go through such scary moments…

You have to see it for yourself...

by Bla Razor on Nov 5, 2009 12:50 PM EST up reply actions