Just a reminder of Rule 48.1, which is the official definition for illegal check to the head:
Quote:
A hit resulting in contact with an opponent’s head where the head was the main point of contact and such contact to the head was avoidable is not permitted. In determining whether contact with an opponent's head was avoidable, the circumstances of the hit including the following shall be considered:
(i) Whether the player attempted to hit squarely through the opponent’s body and the head was not "picked" as a result of poor timing, poor angle of approach, or unnecessary extension of the body upward or outward.
(ii) Whether the opponent put himself in a vulnerable position by assuming a posture that made head contact on an otherwise full body check unavoidable.
(iii) Whether the opponent materially changed the position of his body or head immediately prior to or simultaneously with the hit in a way that significantly contributed to the head contact.
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Head was not the “main” point of contact, and I don’t think contact with the head was avoidable given Zadorov’s height. There was no last second change in position, and you can argue Glendening left himself vulnerable, but I don’t think that’s much of a factor. More importantly, there was no “picking” of the head, nor did Zadorov take a bad angle as he shoulder went straight through the player, not just his head.
If people don’t like these kind of hits then they need to change the definition in the rule book.