Quote:
Originally Posted by 8sPOT
The hit is suspension worthy for sure. But whatever happened to keeping your head up? That was always rule #1 when playing hockey as a kid. Evans could have had a chance to protect himself if he had his head up or took a quick peak even. I just think that, while Evans isn't to blame, he could have had a chance to soften the blow a little. Not long ago having your head down like that was basically an invitation to get crushed, ESPECIALLY in the playoffs.
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If a player has their head down, I agree that getting a hard clean is fine and a predictable outcome.
But players shouldn't expect to get blatantly hit with illegal hits. I get that there is a fine line sometimes and rules get unintentionally broken, but what Sheifele did was beyond that. He intentionally crossed the line and Evans shouldn't expect that.