Quote:
Originally Posted by foshizzle11
100% this, these players should know looking at your feet in open ice while the puck is there, should be a sign you are going to get nailed. This is taught from a young age, these guys should know better. Can't remove a hit like this from the league if they want body contact. I like body contact, I like those big hits, I loved it when Tkachuk nailed Kassian with a few borderline hits. Keep your head up and you wan't get run over. These guys know the consequences and know they could end up with chronic issues after they retire, but they also get paid millions of dollars to do so, they know the risk. Start a new league with no hitting if that is what these guys want. Until then, keep these hits in the game. Clean, hard body checks. No intent to injure.
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Any league, or for that matter employer, has the obligation to do whatever they can to avoid risking the long-term health of their employees. Given what we know about concussions now - it isn't enough to say "keep your head up kid".
The fact they get paid millions is 100% irrelevant in my view. I bet Steve Montador's family would trade all of that wealth to have him back.
To be clear though, under the current definition of body checking the Trouba hit is in my view 100% clean.
But it also points to exactly why the definition of hitting needs to evolve. As I've said before, it should be about getting possession of the puck back, and anything beyond that should be a penalty.