Headshot Patrol: The Panel Takes a New Look at this Controversy

NHLHS writers Brandon Augienello, Dave Strehle and Anthony Curatolo present their thoughts on one of the biggest topics surrounding the NHL: Headshots. The panel collaborated their views, which you can only read here at NHLHS.

Just like life, the game of hockey is forever changing.  Too many times when you turn on the television to watch hockey highlights we witness brutality that transcends the sport itself.

Hockey is a wonderful combination of violence and beauty. But when the violence overshadows the beauty, the league has to take notice and start to make changes.  Colin Campbell, the man that has the power to change the culture of the brutality that has continued to infect this sport, is in a tough position. As much as we all think it is easy to just change the rules and/or suspend players because they have injured another player, we have to consider that he isn’t just battling the situation at hand.

Throughout the 90′s players like Scott Stevens, Jeff Beukeboom and Darius Kasparitis were notorious for their ability to crush opponents via the “open ice” hit. Many Don Cherry Rock ‘Em, Sock ‘Em highlight reels boasted these kinds of checks, not only from these three but many others as well. Concussions and headshots have been an issue for as long as we can remember. The problem now is that players are getting bigger, stronger and faster by the year and the equipment is matching the progress of the average hockey player.

All have had suspensions handed down due to disciplinary actions from the league.

Who could ever forget Stevens’ hits on Eric Lindros, Paul Kariya, Shane Willis and Ron Francis?  And who could forget the images of each of those players, knocked to the very edge of consciousness, attempting to regain their bearings and get back to their skates, looking as if they were doing a Bambi on ice impersonation.

As the years have come and gone, players have changed. However, in today’s game the dirty factor has played more of a role when observing and discussing some of the hits.

What has taken place this season, in regards to this subject, has touched on every spectrum of thought and emotion, from fans to NHL players.

Earlier this season, Mike Richards of the Philadelphia Flyers rocked the world of Florida Panthers forward David Booth. A hit that removed Booth from the game on a stretcher and caused him to miss 45 more. Writers and analysts across North America had mixed feelings about Richards hit that gave Booth a serious head injury. Many thought a suspension was a sure bet while others felt it was a clean hit.

Patrick Kaleta of the Buffalo Sabres has also been a topic of discussion around the league due to his style of play. Queue the “dirty player” title. Even some Sabres fans suggest that Kaleta should not be playing in this league. Interesting concept.

Most recently, Matt Cooke of the Pittsburgh Penguins name has surfaced from a hit in a game against the Boston Bruins’ Marc Savard.

There is too much gray area when it comes to the letter of the law? If a player breaks an NHL rule, he should be dealt with accordingly, right? How does one decipher what is a suspendable play and what isn’t? With hits, especially those to the head, there is a fine line between what’s supposedly dirty and what isn’t. What Cooke did to Savard wasn’t dirty because of where he hit him, it was the way he attacked him.

Blindside hits, like Cooke is notorious for, have to be dealt with severely by the league. It’s tough enough getting hit head on by a player, no matter the size, to get hit when you don’t see it coming, obviously increases the opportunity to inflict more damage.

However, by the existing NHL Rulebook these were all clean hits, just as those that Stevens had doled out years earlier.  But a growing faction has deemed the head shot unacceptable, and at recent GMs meetings, some sanity appears to be on it’s way to the National Hockey League.

In a sense, it is absurd that Cooke wasn’t suspended. This isn’t the first time Cooke has done this…even this season. Cooke likes to hit players when they least expect it, whether in the head or when he throws his leg out. Just ask Vincent Lecavalier and Ilya Kovalchuk about what kind of player they think Cooke is.

A repeat offender tag needs to hold ground as an automatic suspension. However, we simply can not hold Cooke as the only culprit.  There are other players who fit into this category. Even players who play dirty that do not fit within the realm of the main discussion here but Alexander Ovechkin has been tagged as a repeat offender and a dirty player.

That is another article for another time but it goes to show that, again, there lacks a common respect and sportsmanship with certain players in the league.

The GM’s as well as the league will be viewed under a microscope this off-season as to what exactly the new rule will transpire into.

Will justice be served?  Will lessons be learned? Or, will every shift become a worry?