[Yamer]

Of course there was malicious intent. He didn't throw him to the ice by accident. There was no reason for the toss unless he meant to make him pay (ie. hurt him). You control trying to hurt the player, you don't necessarily control the 'hurt' that is inflicted.

The hit and pin, putting him off balance and letting him fall on his ass is a legal hockey play. Everything after is not. 2 minute penalty minimum, but I would say fine at maximum.

The excessive attempts to injure on routine plays, such as slamming, hitting high or targeting the head, jumping, elbowing, etc. need to stop. And no, this will not soften the game in any way. That is simply impossible given the entire structure and nature of the game. Collisions are going to happen at that speed, in that little space, with rigid physical boundaries surrounding the players. You can't make hitting illegal because there would be no standard way to police that at this level of hockey.

So kindly stop with those kinds of slippery slope arguments. They are weightless. We can still eliminate the stupid without sacrificing your mild bloodlusts.