Hits to the head - a suggestion

[jonf]

So, after seeing a couple more hits shown on Hockey Night in Canada, I got to thinking about the hits to the head issue. I still feel that banning hits to the head is a drastic step, and one that will cause many players to shy away from physical contact. At the same time, i think it's clear there are too many players getting injured, and something has to change.

As I watched a few hits, and thought back to a few others, one thing you quickly realize is that many hits to the head occur when a player is already engaged with a defender. Their attention is already split between the puck and the man. As a result of leaning against the opponent to gain position, their heads are often lowered by a few inches, putting them in ideal position to receive a shoulder to the head.

So, what if the NHL were to put in place a rule that prohibits hitting an opponent who is already engaged with a defender. While it would not eliminate hits to the head, I think it would greatly reduce them. Just as importantly, it's a way to do so without making a significant impact on physical play.

Any thoughts on this? Good idea? Have I overlooked something? I'm curious to see what other people think of this idea.

[tmacgolf]

I don't know. The point of hitting in hockey is to seperate a player from the puck. Limiting when you can do this doesn't sit well with me, especially if the player is engaged, then the puck is in play, so double teaming is a good option e.g. one hits the opponent, the other takes the puck. Stiffer penalties and suspensions and perhaps the removal of the instigator rule might do the trick also.

[jonf]

I don't buy the argument that removing the instigator rule will do anything. I think it should be removed, but i don't see it impacting hits to the head. Almost every time a big hit is delivered these days, legal or not, it results in a fight, and usually an instigator penalty. The instigator does not deter people from fighting to protect their teammates.

[nokids]

Main reason there are more hits to the head is because players have less respect for each other today. I think Don Cherry mentioned this a few years ago. We're living in a culture of disrespect. Players want to be on the next greatest hits DVD and dont think about the careers of their opponents. On top of that, the fines and suspensions handed out by the NHL are a joke. You have to basically kill a guy to get a 1 year suspension. There's also less 'tough guys', the league is becoming a skilled league, so there is no strong deterrent to jacking someone up and putting them in a wheelchair.

[jonf]

Scott Stevens was laying people out for 20 years with similar hits, and he's in the Hall of Fame for it, so I don't buy that it's a new phenomenon. I do believe more players are getting injured, and I think that has to do with player size, a faster game, and body armour-like equipment. I also believe we notice it a lot more because every game is recorded from 15 different angles, so when a hit does occur, everyone does see it, and usually over and over again.

My general reaction when I see a guy get hit with his head down is that they committed the cardinal sin in hockey, and can't complain that they took a hit. The best protection is paying attention. But, I do cringe a bit when I see a guy get taken out when he's fighting someone for the puck. The fact is, your eyes can't be everywhere at once, and when you're occupied already, there's little chance for you to defend yourself.

The other hits that cause me to cringe a bit are the ones where a backchecking player nails a guy in open ice near the blueline. They often come from behind/on such an angle that even a player who is paying attention can't see them. Not a hit from behind, technically, but the player isn't in a position to defend themselves.

Maybe what is needed is a rule similar to the one used in football - hitting an opponent in a defenceless position. I dunno, it's complicated.

[LobWedge]

So, after seeing a couple more hits shown on Hockey Night in Canada, I got to thinking about the hits to the head issue. I still feel that banning hits to the head is a drastic step, and one that will cause many players to shy away from physical contact. At the same time, i think it's clear there are too many players getting injured, and something has to change.

As I watched a few hits, and thought back to a few others, one thing you quickly realize is that many hits to the head occur when a player is already engaged with a defender. Their attention is already split between the puck and the man. As a result of leaning against the opponent to gain position, their heads are often lowered by a few inches, putting them in ideal position to receive a shoulder to the head.

So, what if the NHL were to put in place a rule that prohibits hitting an opponent who is already engaged with a defender. While it would not eliminate hits to the head, I think it would greatly reduce them. Just as importantly, it's a way to do so without making a significant impact on physical play.

Any thoughts on this? Good idea? Have I overlooked something? I'm curious to see what other people think of this idea.

Jon, I agree. No player should be allowed to "pick" an opposing player when he's engaged in a battle for position, puck or not. That should be clarified under the Interference rule.

Also, there's too many guys running around out there using their so called "personal protective equipment" as an offensive weapon. The body armour needs to be downsized and/or softened. Pads are meant to protect the wearer, not used to inflict punishment. It won't eliminate all head shots, but it'll make guys think twice about risking a shoulder injury before lining up that open-ice "home run" hit.

[nokids]

Scott Stevens was laying people out for 20 years with similar hits, and he's in the Hall of Fame for it, so I don't buy that it's a new phenomenon.

scott stevens was not going for people's heads. he hit clean and he hit like a mack truck. lindros had his head down and that's why steven's shoulder hit caught him in the face. what i am saying is that more guys today go for the head than they did in the old days. They leave their feet more today than before, looking for a highlight reel hit on sportscenter.

[jonf]

scott stevens was not going for people's heads. he hit clean and he hit like a mack truck. lindros had his head down and that's why steven's shoulder hit caught him in the face. what i am saying is that more guys today go for the head than they did in the old days. They leave their feet more today than before, looking for a highlight reel hit on sportscenter.

He wasn't 'going for their heads' but he damn sure hit them a lot. Most of the hits to the head people are now concerned about are just what Scott Stevens did - clean, legal hits that happen to catch a guy in the head. So, if there's a man in the hall of fame who made a career out of doing it, why wouldn't the young guys want to emulate it? It's good hockey.

My main issue with hits to the head is that...well...i don't really see an issue. It's a violent sport, and people take a risk when they hit the ice. But, new sensitivity towards (and knowledge of) concussions means that those injuries are no longer acceptable. So, the trick is to come up with something that minimizes those injuries without changing the game. I mean, really, it's not a 'hits to the head' issue. It's a concussion issue. Hits to the head aren't new, and they've never been illegal...and as I pointed out, they landed Scott Stevens in the HHOF. So, how do you at least reduce concussions without changing the game? maybe the players should wear full cages.

[nokids]

i agree with making pads smaller and softer. pads these days are so hard they could have been used by the Spartans in 300.