I used to be in the "it isn't hockey without hitting ...rabble rabble... get of my lawn... rabble rabble" camp. But I agree that contact should only be allowed at the absolute elite level. It is pointless sending ankle skating house leaguers out to get their bell rung, when the have a less than zero percent chance of making it, and are just out to slap the puck around and have fun.
When I look at the damage I have to my body, and neck at my age, because of playing contact hockey in my teens, I really wish I could turn the clock back, and have given up hockey before pewee.
I have a knee and a shoulder that makes that of a 85 year old arthritic look good. And dislocating your neck at 16, leads to some very interesting head aches as an adult. All 3 were results of 'idiot' teenagers, trying to prove a senseless point. And all three were results of plays that ended with penalties.
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