[Split98]

I've used luge as an example I find pretty funny for this as I firmly believe that I can get to the bottom, and have a blast doing it. I should, however, train to make sure I'm not going to get hurt.

It's the same with football, racing, horses, and hockey. I think there's a lot of responsibility you're accepting when you engage in these sports as there's a definite risk to the profession you've chosen. There's also a responsibility to ensure you are prepared to play.

I think the rules of the game need to ensure the players have an opportunity to play safe, however. You shouldn't be ragdolled to the ice from the dasher, that's a penalty. However, coming across the blueline you're an open target. We saw it with Johnny and those stupid PP entries that never worked and Johnny was going to get killed. I remember 3 huge hits in 2 games that I thought he'd need some time to recover from. Outside of those stupid kamikaze entries, Johnny rarely gets hit and he understands that he's at a physical disadvantage. So, to make the NHL he's trained on the aspects of his game that would ensure he can survive.

From that, I don't think that blueline hit is anything that needs to come out of the game. I'd love to never see someone on the ice like that, but there is a danger to this game. Coming across the blue line through traffic, you have to know you're a target out there. You hope you're playing against a team that isn't going to intentionally hurt you - but you know that a hit is an effective play in this moment. If the player isn't charging, isn't targeting the head and isn't leaving his feet it's a legal hit you should learn to avoid. If avoiding or absorbing those impacts isn't something you're capable of doing - then playing at hockey's highest level isn't for you.

But that hit is a big part of the game. A player aware of the competition on the ice, is physically trained to absorb a hit and has trained in recognizing the defensive move is a really fun game to watch. It wasn't fun when we lined up Johnny for the slaughter, so I'm happy to see a change. But I also see a lot of players dangle into the offensive zone assuming that they're not going to get hit - then I also see the defence doing a terrible job not hitting and taking control of the puck. Will a clean hit to a prepared player occasionally result in an injury? Of course. Paraphrase hockey to me in a way that makes it seem safe, and I think you have to ignore almost every aspect of it.

Make sure punishments are consistent, and impactful and ensure that your players are trained to play the game safely - on both sides of the hit.