Lots of talk on here tonight about the evolution of hitting. To my memory, there has only been one major change to hitting in the modern NHL, and that is the head can't be the principle point of contact. Everything else is kind of irrelevant here. As much as some people want the physicality of the sport to be continually toned down to a point where it is virtually unrecognizable, there is simply no indication that that will happen, and from this viewer's POV, thank god.
Upward motion of the shoulder-legal
Hitting someone who is not suspecting it-legal
Hitting someone without the internalized intent to only separate the person from the puck-legal
Hitting someone and having a mean look on your face-legal
If Rinaldo gets suspended, it will be because they have an angle where he popped his head and/or making it a reputation call.
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