Ok after reading through all this I have a couple thoughts:
- The Bennett hit is not a type of hit that needs to be removed from the game. I watched it over and over and his initial point of contact was Comphers shoulder. The hit wasn't what I would consider late by any means.
- It's unfortunate Compher got hurt but that is part of the game. There will be injuries and reducing those injuries is important so long as it doesn't destroy the fabric of the game.
- I read one post saying parents won't enroll their kids in hockey much like football. For starters the average career length for footballers is like 4-5years. Hockey players is much longer I can assure you. Both sports have their dangers but hockey isn't anywhere close to where football is on the spectrum.
- Staged fighting and hits to the head shouldn't be a part of the game, nor should charging. But you need a line when determining clean vs illegal. I think things are going in the right direction in the NHL in regards to this and don't really see any holes in the system outside of human error in reffing.
- The league is as safe as it's ever been but it is still a contact sport. We can't be shocked or outraged when players get hurt inadvertently. We can debate but I feel like this debate has gotten a little out of hand. If the player never got hurt we would still be talking about how that hit changed the momentum in the game and was huge in the ensuing comeback.
- Even though it was a Bennett hit, it's somewhat hilarious to have the Bennett thread derailed to a certain extent.
Also GFG tonight!
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