What's wrong with hockey
by Doc Nagel on Sep 1, 2011 1:36 AM EDT
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PrintOn the Yahoo! Sports NHL page tonight was an image of the late Wade Belak, headlined, "Heartbreaking Loss." The caption to the image linked to a story labeled "Beloved by fans, players."
On the same page tonight was a story about Marc Savard, headlined "Game Over," with a link noting that he's "unikely to play" this season, or indeed ever again.
I don't mean what I'm about to say as an indictment against Belak, or any of the other unfortunate recently departed NHL "tough guys." I also don't mean it to defend their actions as players, or the choices they made.
I mean to say only this. Hockey needs to reconsider its relationship to violence.
There is natural violence in hockey. Players skate at high speeds and, in the course of game play, run into and hit one another in pursuit of the objectives of the game: scoring goals, and preventing goals.
But there is a non-natural violence that hockey all too often encourages. This is the violence unrelated to the objectives of the sport, and that are too often lauded by people related to the game, from coaches, to players, to fans, to commentators. (In my personal opinion, all fighting, and all head-shots, fall into this category.)
It is imperative to hockey's future, and to the future health of players, to reconsider what kinds of violence are natural and even essential to the sport, and what kinds are not. And to rule absolutely out of the game those that are not.
I'm sorry to say that most of what I remember about Wade Belak involves the latter. I'm even sorrier to say that the most important thing I remember about Marc Savard is as well.
The content expressed in fanposts does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the staff here at Pensburgh.com. FanPosts are opinions expressed by fans of various teams throughout the league but may be more Pittsburgh-centric for obvious reasons.
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Good work doc, this has inspired me to write a little on this issue for later. I don’t know if you’ve yet seen <a href=“http:// ”http://www.citytv.com/toronto/citynews/sports/article/151784—kypreos-league-needs-to-lend-a-helping-hand" target="_blank">http://www.citytv.com/toronto/citynews/sports/article/151784—kypreos-league-needs-to-lend-a-helping-hand" target="new">what former Tyson Nash said recently (and Matthew Barnaby supported), but that also opens up some real questions.
The league and players association has to do a lot of thinking in light of recent tragic events, and one thing should definitely be to look into post-retirement preparation and programs. Though more players are taking a route through college, generally speaking most of the ex-players have high school educations (or the equivalent). At the end of their playing days I’d wager that most of their bodies are broken down. And they will suddenly lose the dream they’ve worked for basically their whole lives- playing pro hockey, being in the spotlight, being in the room with their teammates, loss of a paycheck. Add that altogether and it can seem pretty daunting.
I agree with you that the NHL has to take a hard look at the role of violence in the sport, and what if anything they can do to protect players as much as possible. It’s also past time they’ve developed plans to setup, care for and monitor guys who’ve slipped out of the sport. (I also think of Tom Cavanaugh, who tragically <a href=“http:// ”http://www.nesn.com/2011/01/former-harvard-nhl-hockey-player-tom-cavanaugh-found-dead-in-providence-mall-parking-garage.html" target="_blank">http://www.nesn.com/2011/01/former-harvard-nhl-hockey-player-tom-cavanaugh-found-dead-in-providence-mall-parking-garage.html" target="new">took his own life earlier this year just months after his pro days ended.)
"You come at the King, you best not miss."
agree 100% on headshots
the NHL should ban shots to the head for a LOT of reasons
the least of which is what the loss of players like Marc Savard and Sidney Crosby and Eric Lindros does to their bottom line
Well, sort of..
The NHL decided not to institute a full-on ban on hits to the head, as was expected after the tone taken by the league’s general managers during their meeting at the Stanley Cup Finals in Boston, but the rules changes made yesterday are good for the game.
Here is how Rule 48, on illegal checks to the head, now reads…
A hit resulting in contact with an opponent’s head where the head is targeted and the principal point of contact is not permitted. However, in determining whether such a hit should have been permitted, the circumstances of the hit, including whether the opponent put himself in a vulnerable position immediately prior to or simultaneously with the hit or the head contact on an otherwise legal body check was unavoidable, can be considered.
"You come at the King, you best not miss."
So basically, you’re not allowed to hit the head, but if you can’t help that you did hit the head in a clean, normal hit, it is allowed.
Which, to an extent, has to happen. If a guy like Zdeno Chara bodychecks a guy like Tyler Kennedy, there’s likely going to be contact to the smaller player’s head in some fashion just based off size difference.
Unfortunately, there’s more onus on the referees to use judgement to rule on the bad hits.
"You come at the King, you best not miss."
so, is it a presumption that any hit to the head is illegal?
that’s my take
with a possible “out” if, in the refs discretion, it was “unavoidable”
and putting some responsibility on all players to not leave themselves in vulnerable positions
sounds pretty good actually
if the NHL had been at this point 10 years ago, Marc Savard might still have a career
Dio, some head hits will be allowed.
For instance, not that this would happen, but if I were to put my head down Eric Lindros style and stare at the puck and just try to bull through people, when I got rocked it would not be illegal.
And again, they have to take circumstances in effect like a bigger player hitting a smaller player. There’s going to be unavoidable contact to the head, but as long as it doesn’t seem intentional, it’ll work.
But as the rule is written a lot of head contact is forbidden, which is definitely a good thing.
"You come at the King, you best not miss."
Judgement calls are a bad idea to put in the hands of the on ice officials. See: Blow, Intent to.
It needs to be black or white. Head contact needs to be verboten, period. Other leagues have implemented such a rule with success.
Another thing the NHL could do to stop dangerous contact is adopt the NCAA’s icing rule.
Judgement of first player to touch puck. For the purpose of interpretation
of this rule, icing is completed the instant the puck crosses the goal line,
unless an attacking player, who is onside at the blue line and with no
opponent between that player and the goal line and is clearly in position
to be the first player to touch the puck. Icing shall not be called in
this situation. This decision by the official shall be made no later than
the first player reaching the end zone face-off dots. If the puck enters
the goal in this situation icing shall not be called and a goal shall be
awarded.
Talk to Derek Schooley, he is a huge proponent of this rule, says it really saves on some needless and dangerous contact.
by ozman_fiftyone on Sep 2, 2011 5:40 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah I know I said Judgement calls are a bad idea. However the icing call is widely liked in the NCAA and protects players.
Judgement of head shots will result in more Wheel of Morality Episodes.
by ozman_fiftyone on Sep 2, 2011 5:41 PM EDT up reply actions
“Hockey needs to reconsider its relationship to violence.”
I agree. I think one day people are going to look back on footage of hockey played during these years, and it’s going to look crazy to them — just like when we see old footage of players without helmets & goalies without face masks, it looks insane.
Football is much worse, in my opinion, and I believe that people will also look back on the way it’s played now with horror.
Unfortunately it takes a long time for popular knowledge and the culture of institutions to catch up to science — especially when it comes to research on long term health risks, and when there is a financial benefit to ignoring that research.
I believe in Geno.
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