Cheap Shots, Running the Keeper & Other Dirty Play

[Guest GordieSid&Ted]

I agree with you completely. I just think you shouldn't touch his head with your shoulder when he's in a vulnerable position.

Well, the only other thing you could really do would be like Lidstrom does and that'd be to stick check him, poke the puck away.

I will tell you this though, 99.999% of players aren't as good as Lids with the stick and I was always taught to separate the man from the puck by hitting the man, not going for the puck.

In this case especially, a potential wraparound on your goal, I don't think so. This is the playoffs after all. I'd rather lay out a guy who is skating with his head down trying to score than to let him score a goal and maybe win the game.

Personally, I don't know how they're going to outlaw hits to the head by a player's shoulder. Scott Stevens made a living out of drilling guys in the jaw with his shoulder and he's revered as maybe the greatest open ice hitter ever and everyone loves it. Why? Why now is everybody so up in arms about it? If a guy is skating with his head down its his fault if he gets hurt. That's hockey 101. I don't think i'm in favor of punishing a guy for doing his job. I think as a player you have a responsibility to skate with your head up and to be aware of your surroundings. As a hitter you have a responsibility to respect your opponent inasmuch as you do not hit him from behind or elbow him in the head or do anything dirty. But if you go in for a clean check and the guy doesn't see you, who is at fault?

[superstarsingh 23]

He was mentioned. Suprised?

Not at all. That dude is a goalie killer.

[SoupGuru 0]

Personally, I don't know how they're going to outlaw hits to the head by a player's shoulder. Scott Stevens made a living out of drilling guys in the jaw with his shoulder and he's revered as maybe the greatest open ice hitter ever and everyone loves it. Why? Why now is everybody so up in arms about it? If a guy is skating with his head down its his fault if he gets hurt. That's hockey 101. I don't think i'm in favor of punishing a guy for doing his job. I think as a player you have a responsibility to skate with your head up and to be aware of your surroundings. As a hitter you have a responsibility to respect your opponent inasmuch as you do not hit him from behind or elbow him in the head or do anything dirty. But if you go in for a clean check and the guy doesn't see you, who is at fault?

I think you're misreading what I'm saying. I don't think anyone is at fault for a hit like that - except for the guy with his head down. He should be more aware. But if he's not and you can line him up for a clean check that could possibly injure him, I say you should have the decency to let up just ever so slightly. I think you can lay just as effective of a hit on him without smashing his head.

I'll say it again: just because it's legal doesn't mean it's right.

[Guest GordieSid&Ted]

I think you're misreading what I'm saying. I don't think anyone is at fault for a hit like that - except for the guy with his head down. He should be more aware. But if he's not and you can line him up for a clean check that could possibly injure him, I say you should have the decency to let up just ever so slightly. I think you can lay just as effective of a hit on him without smashing his head.

I'll say it again: just because it's legal doesn't mean it's right.

I get what you're saying but how do you let up? How do you judge whether you should let up? Would you let up if it was in the neutral zone but not in front of your crease? Would you not do it if it were a star player but you would if it was a 4th liner?

Hitting is hitting, I don't know how you can start to police hitting without basically f-ing up the game is all i'm saying. How can you police a legal hit? As for the rightness or wrongness of it, which I think you're getting at, I guess I just don't feel its wrong to crush somebody. Dats took that shot from Phaneuf the other day right on the jaw and got up and skated away. I don't think Phaneuf was laying off. Although Dats did see him at the last second which probably helped. But lesser hits have had freakier injuries result. I look at it look the NFL. If you don't go all out, if you lay up on a guy maybe you don't make the tackle. Maybe the guy breaks from from you. In hockey, if you have the chance to eliminate somebody I suppose you can just bump the guy without truly running him through the ice but what's the goal with that? Are we trying to have a league where all players can effectively just bump guys off the puck and we no longer have any big hits. There'd be no more Scott Stevens or Dion Phaneufs. Maybe there wouldn't be anymore highlight hits. Remember the hit Darcy Tucker laid on Sami Kapanen. That was awesome. I'd never want Tucker to lay off in that situation. Nobody wants to see players get hurt but IMO, you skate with your head up, its your responsibility to do so. We shouldn't knock guys who are playing smart and with their heads up. We should be telling guys to skate with their head up and not to put themselves into a vulnerable position. I don't like the idea of punishing the hitter or making the hitter have to change his game because somebody else can't skate with their head up. That seems backwards to me.