Quote:
Originally Posted by PepsiFree
Hockey without hitting is not the same as hockey without contact, and Jiri made the distinction pretty clear.
I don’t think we’re close to seeing that future in any official rule-based sense, but I also don’t think it’s hard to imagine. Hitting, the type Jiri is talking about, is a lot more rare than people realise.
I just find it ridiculous how triggered and reactionary people get over it with the false machismo. Look at how often guys like Gaudreau and Tarasenko get “hit,” it’s extremely rare. And every year there are more and more of these guys.
Hockey sense and agility is getting better and better. Guys are less susceptible to hits, and guys are learning its more effective to actually get the puck than just lay the hit. The future of big hits is dark, even without a rule evaluation.
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I think hitting still has a place and will forever. A guy like Gaudreau may not get hit often, but the oncoming possibility of a hit might still cause him to throw away the puck to protect himself, and that giveaway is not from a hit, but from the mere possibility of one.