NHL Hits

Hitting in the NHL, specifically hitting to the head, is in the headlines...yes again. This time people are saying the same things they have always been saying. I do agree with the part of trying to take away hits to head because of the risks of injury and of course taking away players from playing in games. I'll leave the rest of the hitting rant for another time.

Here is a hit that has garnered some attention.




In my opinion this was not a dirty hit to the head. It was a hit to the head but in hockey sometimes a hit to the head is going to happen. People skate with their heads down and bend/lean over.

As you can see, Gagne was admiring his pass and not paying attention to his surroundings. As he turned he was hit. Kovalev was not going hard at him (no charging or lowering of the shoulder to the head) and as far as I can see he just gave him a body check to close out the play. Come on, he was gliding into the check.

What do you want players to do, just do what we do when playing Shinny, hold on when we get close due to incidental contact?

This is a game with contact and there are risks that come along with playing in the NHL.

Keep your head up and make sure to use your eyes.