Nobody DESERVES to get injured, Squanto.

The fact of the matter is, IT HAPPENS.

People get paralyzed playing football. They get concussions quite often. But you don't see them changing the rules of the game in order to prevent this stuff from happening, because it would be detrimental to the style of play.

It's not an 'attitude.' I don't enjoy seeing people get injured, nor did I enjoy being injured.

But if you could skate up the ice with your head down with NO consequences for your actions, the game would go to shit.

So, for the sake of hockey, please tell me a way they can change the rules to stop these hits from happening, without abolishing open ice hits all together. Because GMs and players have been pondering this for quite some time now with no such luck.

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Wheelhouse

Sorry, dudes - Old Guy Chimes In - Back in the day, yes...it could have been done.

Players didn't wear helmets...and ultimately: It just wasn't done.

You blindsided a guy. Your fucking ass was grass, for the rest of the season, if not longer.

People would hunt you for years, for pulling a "legal" (ahem) hit which was meant to take advantage of a player's inability to protect himself, or a hit with an intent to injure.

It's a gutless way to put someone out for good, if not end their career and perhaps their life.

I'll personally challenge anyone who wants to play such a mercenary game, to try to even control the puck for any period - Especially if they know I'm looking to catch them "unawares".

It's snot-nosed punk shit. It's disrespectful of another player, his health, his livelihood, and the spirit of the Game of Hockey.

It's just plain punk-assed cheap and dirty. It's gutless to hit someone when they're not looking. It's unsportsmanlike, regardless of the "kewl" factor it garners.

The intent of the game is not to kill or injure, it is to apply well-timed AND fairly defined body-blows, to an opponent, with a mind to gain control of the puck, in order to advance the play and score.

Head shots are pure bullshit. They're cowardly. Plain and simple.

The only reason these ass-hats do it is because they know that they won't be pounded to a pulp, because of the instigator rule.

Fucking Cowards.

I'll take a shot of head.

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Oh lord, it's hard to be humble, when you're perfect in every way. I can't wait to look in the mirror, 'cause I get better looking each day. To know me is to love me, I must be a hell of a man. Oh lord, it's hard to be humble, but I'm doin' the best that I can.

I agree with both Ice and ETC on this matter

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mechaphil

The NFL was concerned about the number of concussions being suffered by NFL QBs. So, they changed the rule to say that ANY contact the the head of the QB will incur a roughing the passer penalty.

Then, once play started, THEY STARTED CALLING IT. Some of the calls are ticky tack to be sure, but players are PENALIZED for hitting people in the head. It's a major deterrent to players continuing to go after the QB's head.

They also changed the rules a few years back because receivers going up to get balls were being creamed in the head by safeties. Blow to the head of a defenseless receiver? 15 yards.

You don't have to eliminate open ice hits. You simply make it a rule that blows to the opponents head, intentional or not, are penalties. THEN CALL THEM.

I'm sure we can both agree that there are hundreds of good, solid, open ice hits every year that don't involve blows to the head. Those hits would not be taken out of the game.

The problem in the NHL is 3 fold.

1. The NHL has no rule on the books against blows to the head. The NHLPA campaigned hard for this, then gave up on the fight when they were told no rule would be put into place.

2. The culture of hockey is such that ESPN highlight reel hits are ENCOURAGED, even if it involves tossing a shoulder pad into someone's chin.

3. Players are not allowed to handle these situations themselves because of the instigator rule.

This debate has about as likely a chance to gain consensus as the ones on religion and politics.

Two schools of thought, and n'er the two shall meet.:

1. Old school and violent
2. Modern and protective

Chalk me up for old school and violent, don't try telling me to think otherwise, and smell my farts if you disagree.

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Oh lord, it's hard to be humble, when you're perfect in every way. I can't wait to look in the mirror, 'cause I get better looking each day. To know me is to love me, I must be a hell of a man. Oh lord, it's hard to be humble, but I'm doin' the best that I can.

Old School may have been perceived as being "violent" - But, it was always honorable: Never hit a man when he ain't looking, and never kick a man when he's down.

Simple as that. Anything else and you were asking for a fucking beating.

I actually see the old school as more protective. My reasoning is that the codes of honor and respect were higher. You took the measures not to killdozer because the necessary protection wasn't there, and hell, it just wasn't fucking alright to do.

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mechaphil

I think what has been lost over the years was the concept of delivering one of these open ice hits. There was more emphasis on playing the puck, making the plays and scoring the goals as opposed to dressing kids the size of football players and getting them to go out and destroy the opposing team if they were losing on the scoreboard. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a good fight/hit just the same as the next person. But instead of keeping the game simple and focusing more on the plays and the game, guys are being told to go out and hit everything that moves and if it doesn't move, hit it anyway. Hits were once thrown when they needed to be. Today, players hit other players just because.

To me, what comes to mind were games I remembered watching as a kid. The Gretzky Oiler days, Yzerman as a young player with the Wings and seeing these types of guys flying up the ice, making the plays that brought people out of their seats. They were allowed to do so because they had the Watchmen ready to pounce and pound the first moron who would take liberties on their best players. Can you imagine what would have become of a punk like Downey had he taken a 30 foot run at Gretzky? His liver would be eaten in the penalty box by Semenko.

Hitting does belong in the game. It's been part of the game for years and will continue to do so. Granted, there was little to no talk of concussions back in the day and if you got rocked, you took a breather, hit the smelling salts and got back on the ice because you knew your spot on the roster wasn't safe. Thanks to published reports and the media, it has really brought headshots and the risk of concussions out of the woodwork and causing the alarms. Now, of course it’s not all propaganda and lies. Concussions, unfortunately, have become part of the game just the same as offside calls. But the league needs to do something in terms of labeling these types of hits the same as the high sticking rules. Regardless if you meant to cork the guy with a shoulder to the head, you serve the penalty and/or possible suspension.

How many guys have had their careers ended from a high stick compared to those who have been forced to retire due to many blows to the head? I know if I had to choose, I’d sooner have a few scars on my face than have my brain bleeding.

Besides, chicks dig a guy with scars

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If it's a tight squeeze, spit on it! - NyI

He's a middling AHL player who had the good fortune of a drunk arbitrator. - The Squanto re: Tim Kennedy

Yeah, you basically have two options.

1). Remove the instigator. - Players throwing headshots will be dealt with by the players themselves.

2). Fine and suspend for any direct blow to the head. 3 - 10 - 25 games first - second - third offense. Players will cut that shit out.

Sorry, but a shoulder to the face is not part of the game and never will be.

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Proud LGBTQQ Individual

Old school had "honor" because players didn't wear helmets, armor for equipment, visors, etc. You would sure show a lot more restraint leading with your head to deliver a kill shot without a helmet on, and you wouldn't bury your head facing the boards knowing you had no helmet out of a false sense of safety.

Want honor, safety, respect and still keep the toughness? Toss away the helmets and bullet proof equipment! Old, old school, baby.

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Oh lord, it's hard to be humble, when you're perfect in every way. I can't wait to look in the mirror, 'cause I get better looking each day. To know me is to love me, I must be a hell of a man. Oh lord, it's hard to be humble, but I'm doin' the best that I can.

I'm arguing on facebook about this with a Flyers fan on my friend's wall. I don't think he appreciates it.

Pretty much the Flyers fan says Booth is to blame because he didn't protect himself. I tell him that's like blaming women involved in domestic abuse cases. Completely ignoring the aggressor's actions and blaming the victim. Classy. Where is the puck on the play? When does Richards' commit to the hit? Where does Richards hit Booth? Oh yeah no, Booth is a total asshole for this one. Fucking moron needs to learn to protect himself from players who are just trying to ram their shoulder into your head on a blindside hit. Hopefully Booth will learn from his mistake...

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All the things we wanted each other to be we'll never be.

This is a stupid argument. There has always been big time open ice hits, and there has always been a few that were landed on a player's head.

I can't believe the shit I'm hearing out of some of you right now.

If you put a rule in saying you can't deliver a hit open ice when a player has his head down, then people are going to skate up the ice with their heads down all day.

Then, there are going to be hits that people say he did hit his head, or he didn't.

It's bull shit. Here's the simple solution; stop skating across the ice with your head down. Don't pass in one direction and admire it when your body is traveling in another.

Get rid of the instigator penalty so it won't happen as often if you have to.

But don't take the god damn livelihood out of hockey. Taller players who make open ice hits on smaller players have their shoulders EVEN with the smaller players heads as it is. What's a guy supposed to do; go down on one knee before he hits?

Stupid, stupid argument. Just keep your fucking head up.

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Wheelhouse

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Oh lord, it's hard to be humble, when you're perfect in every way. I can't wait to look in the mirror, 'cause I get better looking each day. To know me is to love me, I must be a hell of a man. Oh lord, it's hard to be humble, but I'm doin' the best that I can.

Please point me at ONE POST where such a thing was suggested. Just ONE.

Hey Squanto... if you can't hit a player in the head, then taller players aren't going to be able to hit smaller players on open ice.

You ever stand next to someone taller than you? Where does their shoulder fall?

That may not be the rule, but that's what the fucking rule you proposed will prevent.

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Wheelhouse

In real time Booth looked at his pass for a fraction of a second. Everyone does that. You wouldn't be able to count 1 Mississippi in real time in the time Booth had his head turned. Hits to the head are not the same as open ice hits. Richards clearly hit Booth in the head, knocking him unconscious, and removing any chance of Booth from protecting himself from the fall. Also when you make a pass like the one Booth did, your body is going to continue in an opposite direction unless you just come to a dead stop.

If you're going to argue not passing in a direction your body is not moving in then I think that has a better chance to kill the NHL than removing hits to the head. This idea that the problem here are open ice hits on players with their heads down needs to stop. THATS NOT THE PROBLEM. It's the hits to the head. Where does it say if a player has his head down you can't hit him? The problem is hitting the player in the head. If you have trouble hitting anything but the head you shouldn't be playing hockey. You should however keep the helmet on for safety reasons.

I'm not going to argue a solid body hit to a player with his head down won't end in a concussion. It very well could. However, when a player is hit in the head and knocked unconscious that player has no chance at protecting himself from going head first into the ice.

Also just because you're a taller player doesn't mean you're incapable of a shoulder to shoulder hit. You've seen the hit... he didn't line up the hit to make contact with Booth's mid section. Richards wasn't standing tall either. He was brassing for the hit and his body's stance took an inch or 2 off his overall height. Somehow his shoulder managed to find Booth's face.

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All the things we wanted each other to be we'll never be.

Seriously? When you skate, you lead with your head, due to the natural stance on skates.

Booth did 2 things wrong. He didn't follow his pass, and he stopped moving his feet after he made it. He glided and stayed gliding in one direction, on rails, setting himself up as an easy target.

There's no way you can institute a rule without it being controversial, and without it being detrimental to the physicality on open ice.

Unless you remove the instigator.

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Wheelhouse

Ever hear of a hip check? Shoulder to shoulder check?

Should Chara be allowed to have a free shot at St. Louis' face just based on the fact that he's taller? That's just nonsense.

Larger players manage to hit smaller players EVERY GAME without cranking them in the face.

If he didn't have the puck, and it was SUCH a long timeframe that he stopped skating, why is he being hit in the first place?

EDIT: I don't give a shit about a rule being controversial. Hockey is a tough enough game as it is. Players should be able to play it without worrying that a 'legal' hit is going to end their career.

For the record, I totally agree with you on the instigator rule. It would be fine if the league policed the game, but if they won't do it, let the players do it.