Part 1
The National Hockey League (NHL) and its Players' Association (NHLPA) are making decisions that are both detrimental and negligent to the game of hockey. The NHL is supposed to be the role model and leader for the lower levels of hockey while setting the example for all others to follow but the opposite has been happening for way too long. At every lower level of hockey, changes on protection of head shot rules, and disciplinary actions taken on all offenses committed have already been in place for sometime. I have to give the NHL and the P.A. a gross misconduct on head shots Rule 48 on behalf of all hockey!
The gross misconduct penalty rule as written in the rulebook of Hockey Canada. Reads like this:
GROSS MISCONDUCT
Rule 4.7 Gross Misconducts Gross misconduct penalties shall be assessed where a person conducts him or herself in a manner as to make a travesty of the game.
Here is what the NHL's rule now reads like this:
Rule 24 - (Not in use) NOTE: Gross misconduct penalties have been re- classified as game misconduct penalties (see 23.7). The term "gross misconduct penalty" is no longer in use.
The gross misconduct rule was conveniently replaced by a game misconduct in 2007 by the NHL Board of Governors to make these penalties easier to review. You can see how the NHL and the P.A views the state of the game in their NHL. It appears that the players of the league are the saints of all hockey because they never commit an infraction that could be seen as a travesty of the game. They appear to be so gentlemanly in manners, sportsmanship, etiquette and have a general respect amongst all players, that the gross misconduct penalty is simply not required. Really?
After the 2009-2010 NHL season, the Player's Association asked the NHL to add an infraction for blows to the head. They had seen some severe concussions during the past season to Marc Savard of the Boston Bruins and David Booth of the Florida Panthers, both on blindside checks making contact with the head of the players. The NHL and their P.A. rushed into effect Rule48 for the 2010-2011 NHL Season.
Here is how the Rule 48 reads:
Rule 48 - Illegal Check to the Head
48.1 Illegal Check to the Head – A lateral or blind side hit to an opponent where the head is targeted and/or the principal point of contact is not permitted.
48.2 Minor Penalty - There is no provision for a minor penalty for this rule.
48.3 Major Penalty - For a violation of this rule, a major penalty shall be assessed (see 48.4).
48.4 Game Misconduct – An automatic game misconduct penalty shall be assessed whenever a major penalty is assessed under this rule.
48.5 Match Penalty - The Referee, at his discretion, may assess a match penalty if, in his judgment, the player attempted to or deliberately injured his opponent with an illegal check to the head.
48.6 Fines and Suspensions – Any player who incurs a total of two (2) game misconducts under this rule, in either regular League or playoff games, shall be suspended automatically for the next game his team plays. For each subsequent game misconduct penalty the automatic suspension shall be increased by one game.
If deemed appropriate, supplementary discipline can be applied by the Commissioner at his discretion (refer to Rule 28).
There are currently nine suspensions that have been handed out since the start of the 2010-11 season using Rule48. There are plenty more which have not been given a penalty call by the referees, who were standing right in front of the infraction, or reviewed by NHL hockey operations ( Colin Campbell and Mike Murphy) and deemed not warranting further disciplinary action. The NHL stated that the rule is reducing these hits and the players are adjusting to the new rules. According to the NHL, straight-on hits that made contact with the head are okay and are very much a part of the physical toughness of the game of hockey, because a player must skate with his head up at all times when in possession of the puck. Concussions in the NHL continue to happen on a regular basis with varying degrees of excuses, from the hard glass, head down, faster, taller, stronger players, players putting themselves in vulnerable positions and then claims that the check was accidental with no intent to injure.
On January 1, 2011 during the NHL Winter Classic, Pittsburgh Penguins' star center Sidney Crosby was struck by David Steckel of the Washington Capitals in an apparent unintentional accidental blindside shoulder to the head. That same week, Crosby left a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning after another hit this time, into the glass. He was diagnosed with a mild concussion which would keep him out of the team's lineup for 10 to 14 days. Crosby was notably absent from the NHL All Star Weekend on Jan.28-30,2011 because he was still unable to workout due to lingering concussion symptoms. The NHL Board of Governors meeting that weekend dealt with the ongoing battle with concussions. Following that meeting, Toronto Maple Leafs President and General Manager, Brian Burke stated that the media's attention on concessions was only generated by Sidney Crosby's recent Diagnosis. Darren Dreger of TSN also reported that "Another NHL general manager says the impact of Crosby's concussion has heightened the demand by league owners to introduce a penalty for head checking, perhaps, as soon as next month's GM meetings in Florida. If that happens, one issue the league will have to wrestle with is fighting which, of course, leads to hits to the head". It appeared that the owners were only concerned about concussions after one of the NHL's biggest young superstars extended absence started to take it's toll financially on the team and the league. Crosby's problems are beginning to hurt the owners in their collective pocket books because the drop attendance in a number of venues where Crosby's Penguins would be visiting. Mark Savard of the Boston Bruins, suffered another concussion while being driven face first into the boards, then checked in another game, into the glass.
February 3, 2011, Daniel Paille of the Bruins check Dallas Star player Raymond Sawan on a back pressure blindside elbow to the head in a fight- filled emotional and physical game. What caused the biggest sensation in the media was the comments to reporters, of his teammate Andrew Ference immediately following the game. Here are those comments: "I mean, it's a bad hit, right? That's what they're trying to get rid of and you can't be hypocritical about it when it happens to you, and say it's fine when your teammate does it," Ference said. "It's a hit they're trying to get rid of. I mean you hear it from every player after they do it, they feel bad, and same thing. I talked to Danny and he feels bad. It's tough, that back checking forward, to make those kind of hits, it's so hard to do it in a clean fashion, with the new rules. It is what it is. He hurt the guy, and I'm sure he'll have a conversation." Ference was ripped by many of the older players who were now reporting that he should have kept it in the dressing room only, not out to the media. You have to applaud Ference for not being a hypocrite about the hit when he was placed in a difficult position by the media. He has to be against these hits when seeing teammates Marc Savard and Patrice Bergeron suffering for very extended periods with concussions. Now, Savard having to announce that he must stop playing for at least this season and the very big possibility of having to retire from the NHL due to another concussion. The Penquins later announced that Crosby would not return until at least sometime in March. Crosby told reporters that he was still not ready to workout and was suffering still from concussion symptoms but felt that his condition was improving. He wants to be back this season and hopes not to be forced into shutting down his playing career until next season.
On Twitter, Bob McKenzie tweeted "Bob Clarke has it right - purpose of hitting has changed from separating man from puck to being a missile. Puck is an afterthought now". If Bob Clarke, who led the Flyers through their Broad Street Bullies era, is the modern day spokesman for sanity in the league, how far have the NHL fallen? Lest we forget that the Broad Street Bullies were the most penalized team in NHL history. Bob sees the problem but the NHL still can't get right. The retired players of the game have been saying for years that present day players are bigger, faster, stronger, with better all-around fitness levels and greater athleticism but are overall lacking in respect for each other. The older players, like Clarke, played the game rough, physical, without helmets, but they didn't have to worry about head shots when being body checked. The retired players in their day, policed themselves. There were no need for bodyguards. When the NHL absorbed the four remaining teams of the World Hockey Association, big policemen type players protected the Superstars of the game. Wayne Gretzky had Dave Semenko, SteveYzerman had Bob Probert for protection on the ice and players feared going after them in any sort of way. The NHL decided to enact the instigator penalty, an extra two minute infraction to the player who started a fight. The rule was to reduce fighting and the number of fights per season have dropped but it has allowed certain types of players to be more dirty, bold and cowardly in their play knowing there will be no immediate retribution on the ice. Players are now waiting for other games against offending player's teams to exact the retribution thus the vigilante justice that now prevails in the NHL.
TO BE CONTINUED................
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