The cynic in me says that the only way something like what you’re suggesting (and by and large I happen to agree with it) gets any kind of traction is if Ovechkin, Malkin, Crosby or Kovalchuk goes down – maybe even to the point of threatening their career.

Not unlike the hit that put the Kitchener Rangers player in the hospital. That was a clear warning shot across the bow of all pro/semi-pro hockey leagues – it was very close to being a fatality on the ice. None of the leagues have the financial wherewithal to survive the lawsuits that will surely be filed should that happen.

The other problem is the fact that a significant number of fans want that gritty physical brand of hockey – and they’re numerous and vocal enough that the NHL is loathe to risk alienating them. As at least one analyst said, the NHLPA should stand up and make a statement about this type of risky behavior. Which, of course, would require at the least a ‘functional’ NHLPA – and we all know that’s not something we’ll see in the near future.
So, you’ve got a powerless and useless union that won’t stick up for it’s own membership, and an ‘employer’ that won’t take any risks for fear of screwing the pooch and losing what little fan base they have.

Result?

Status quo.

Until some earth-shattering event takes place and forces their hand(s).

It will happen at some point – it’s just a matter of when.

The Glencross hit on Drury does not constitute that event – it was too innocuous. Unfortunately.

What’s so difficult about it? We’re talking about hits to the head that cause an injury. Pretty straightforward – not a lot of wiggle room.

There aren’t a whole lot of ways that a taller player’s shoulder can make contact with a shorter players head – AND cause an injury – without it being deliberate. But since all of these situations (we’re talking suspensions, remember?) would be reviewed in great detail by the NHL, there would obviously be some degree of judgment involved.

“A punch to the f-in face..” is not a deterrent by any stretch of the imagination. All that does is create a class of head-hunting goons looking for retribution whether deserved or not. For the sake of argument – let’s say that there was no ‘instigator’ rule. Byers or Boyle go out on the ice – get into a fight with Glencross – which ends up being yet another “jersey jerk” with a whole lot of wrestling and no significant punches landed.
Drury is still out of the game. The 2 fighters get 5 minute majors – and maybe a misconduct. Big f-in deal!

Take the guys paycheck away for a month – roughly 1/5th of the season (in a normal, not an Olympic year) – and we’ll see how many take their chances.

if drury was alexander the great or cindy crosby this thug would be gone for 20 gamesmr.buttman is a joke so is the n.hl. if avery did this he would be banned and thrown out of hockey mr.buttman you suck ..

that hit is worth a minimum of 5 games just because he basically blindsided Drury. Sure, you can blame Drury for not paying attention to what’s going on, but it’s quite hard to dodge a check while you’re anticipating a pass. This is quite similar to the Richards’ hit on David Booth: A player is distracted with the play, and then he gets blindsided by a guy who he hasn’t noticed. I use this example all the time when talking about how bad Colin Campbell can be at discipline: Kris Versteeg gets two games for an instigator penalty after he basically tugs on Kyle Turris’ jersey. Sidney Crosby and Jason Arnott get instigators for beating up guys who don’t want to fight them, but they don’t get suspended.

This basically shows that if you’re a star player going after someone, you’re not going to get suspended while if you’re a known goon, you’re going to get suspended. If Steve Ott did this, he’d get at least 8 games. Pronger would get 3 for being a repeat offender. Yet if Ovechkin or Richards did the same thing, people would immediately defend them “Richards made a clean hit”, “Ovechkin just plays physical” because they’re not goons. Basically Bettman doesn’t want his moneymakers like Crosby, Ovechkin and Richards to miss time because they’re gooning it up. Greed is starting to get in the way of logic, Campbell is going to have to make a statement by suspending a star player for an offense one day. Especially if it’s Crosby, Richards or Ovechkin

well we all know how bad buttman is.

while were at it i might as well say that im pretty sure a certain commish was pulling for a certain team to win the cup. and did some stuff to make sure it came true ;)

I admittedly liked the “gritty” hard-nosed NHL for a long time, but the recent rash of head-shots is scary.

Now that I have an 8 year old that plays on a travel team and appears to be headed for many years of competitive hockey I think something needs to be done.

The question about whether it’s a hit to the head, or an intent to injure shouldn’t make a difference. The shot on the Kitchener Ranger was not intended to be a hit to the head, but it was an attempt to hit like he was a Mack Truck with a full load. I’m quickly becoming a believer that full speed hits, especially when the opposing player isn’t prepared is not only unnecessary it is with intent to cause injury and should be dealt with. The concept itself will be highly criticized but isn’t being criticized for being cautious better than being criticized for doing nothing?

Mike Richards check was clean, completely legal and within the rules, but was it really necessary? So was the hit on the Kitchener Ranger. Glencrosses hit was clearly late, clearly a penalty and clearly unnecessary. They were all unnecessary unless the intent was to injure and that’s what needs to be eliminated. The league is better with it’s better players healthy.