NHL Rules

NHL Power Brokers to Meet

Dustin Fink2 Comments

As the weather warms that means the General Managers of the NHL go south to Florida for the meeting of the minds.  Last year the Commissioner laid out a plan to help curb the concussion issue in the NHL with ideas that included: the quiet room, expansion of Rule 48 and increased penalties from Shanahan.

Where has that gotten the sport in relation to concussions; if you look by pure number it would be an actual increase, however I do believe those measures have indeed helped.  But there is more they (GM’s) and league can do, if they want to.  Part of fostering a game/sport is to realize that there needs to be changes, often ones that go against tradition and the good ol’ days.  People, including those that run hockey seem to forget that this game was not invented with today’s player in mind, the speed and skill has far outgrown this pastime, change is inevitable.

What can the NHL do to make the concussion issue better – don’t ask the Deputy Commissioner; Continue reading →

NHL Clarifies Rule 48

Dustin Fink1 Comment

The NHL today sent out a note that they have cleaned up the wording on Rule No. 48, the rule put in place at the Winter GM Meetings that “kind of” started the penalization of head hits in professional hockey.  The statement reads (from NHL.com);

Rule 48 previously provided the on-ice officials with the ability to call a major penalty for any targeted head hit from the lateral or blind side, but the re-written rule no longer includes the words lateral or blind side, and the major penalty provision has been replaced by the minor penalty provision.

“Now, the confusion some of the players have expressed in the past as to what direction they’re approaching a player, what direction a player is facing, east, west, north, south, that has all been taken out,” said Brendan Shanahan, NHL Senior V.P. of Player Safety and Hockey Operations. “Anywhere on the ice, coming from any direction, you target the head and make it a principle point of contact, you’ll be subject to a two-minute penalty on the ice for Rule 48. You’ll also be — as with all two-minute penalties or non-calls — subject to supplementary discipline.”

This should, stress on the word “should”, eliminate any hits being made to the head with anything other than a high stick or puck Continue reading →