Concern over eliminating dangerous hits to the head, is reaching a new peak, with the latest incident over the weekend, in which Boston Bruins forward Marc Savard was hit blindside, by Matt Cooke of the Pittsburgh Penguins, who was not penalized on the play. Savard was reported as being briefly unconscious, but moving his arms and legs before being carried off the ice. He did return to the team hotel, with a member of the Bruins medical staff.
To correct the danger of dangerous head shots, the game of professional hockey would have to undergo some radical changes. The difficulty in protecting players from this kind of hit is multifold. There are three dimensions that need to be examined. The first is the speed of the game. With skaters moving at 20 or 30 kilometers per hour ( I’m just guessing, but that’s probably close) and a player trying to legally check an opposing player who has the puck, the slightest movement of the puck carrier before the hit, can change the impact of where a body check using the shoulder will connect, even if the player delivering the hit is well intended, and not meaning to to hit in the head area. The player without the puck may not be able to adjust his body at the last second, if the player with the puck slightly alters the position of his head or shoulders, prior to impact.
Another element that presents complications, is the size of the player delivering the hit. For example, what if Zdeno Chara of Boston, or Tyler Myers of Buffalo , both of them very big defensemen, are going to check an incoming forward, who is much smaller,like the Philadelphia Flyers Daniel Briere ? How would they be able to deliver a clean hit to him or any other much smaller opponent, without having their shoulders or arms contact the head of the players in question, and the situation being complicated by the speed of the players at the time of impact ?
The other key component that needs to be examined, and which is frequently discussed by players but not the media, is that of the equipment worn by NHL players. In a previous conversation on this same subject in latenightvampire.com, former Toronto Maple Leafs captain, Wendel Clark, suggested that one of the biggest concerns for him, is the size of the equipment utilized for shoulder, and elbow protection. A power forward who was feared because of his bone crunching body checks, all of the clean variety, Clark has told me several times that the hockey shoulder pads are similar to those worn by football players, and they give the forward delivering the check, a feeling of invincibility, as opposed to the shoulder pads from twenty or so years ago, which were much smaller, less dangerous to opposing players, and would cause the player delivering the hit, to rely more on angles in delivering an effective hit, because the players executing the hit, would also feel the force of the blow, when wearing the smaller protective padding. The net effect of a reduction in the size of the shoulder pads and elbow pads as well, would likely be an effective but less dangerous collision.
It’s hard to believe that the National Hockey League can legislate hits to the head out of the game, without radically changing the nature of the game. Doing this in professional football is one thing, but they obviously don’t move at the speed of hockey players, so it’s easy to rule against any hit near the head. When a skater is moving at automobile speeds, is much tougher to avoid. One of the most important skills in hockey, is learning to carry the puck with your head up. It makes you wonder if all NHL players are still learning those skills effectively, at the lower levels of hockey instruction.
There is always going to be an element of danger to any body contact sport, and especially one where speed is essential.It seems to me that the equipment issue is the one that’s most problematic. I would hate to see most of the hitting taken out of the game. That’s a vital part of what makes the game compelling to watch and participate in. By all means, please make the game safer, but take action where the fault lies, in the equipment, not the nature of the game we’ve grown up with and loved for decades, both as participants, and observers.