Protect Hockey Players the Euro Way

[Pete Nice]

So I am not one to preach about injuries in sports, I am all about manning up and playing, but the major sports leagues prefer to be pussies about it, so here is a way I read to prevent hockey head injuries without becoming huge pussies by adopting some international rules.

1. Ban all head shots - Despite the recent ban on blindside hits, there's been no decrease in NHL concussions. Time to follow the lead of the International Ice Hockey Foundation, which penalizes any head contact at all.

I like this b/c the NHL is super inconsistent with enforcing the head shot penalty. Richards and Cooke should have had a long seat on the bench last year, in the game and for a good 10 games after. Crosby has been out for going on two weeks b/c of head shots in the Winter Classic and the game after, neither of which were penalized, let alone suspensions handed out. If your gonna pussify the game and start penalizing, fining and suspending for head shots, just do it for all of them, even accidental ones, makes it a fucking hell of a lot easier.

2. Institute no-touch icing - Eliminating headlong races for first touch curbs colossal, end-board collisions between full-bore defensemen and forwards.

I also like this one, I call it "The Ovechkin Rule" that dirty motherfucker is going to kill a defenseman one of these days. Why race all the way back when 99 out of 100 times, the defensemen gets there first anyway.

3. Ditch the trapezoid - If goaltenders can play the puck anywhere, and not just directly behind the net, D-men have to do less back-to-the-action puck retrieval, and thus are targets of fewer blindside hits.

Again, I like this. Why limit the goalie? It is just dumb. It also allows the goalie to make dumb decisions that lead to easy goals by skilled teams. Take the risk, pay the price.

4. Expand the Ice - Increasing the playing surface to international dimensions (200 feet x 100 feet as opposed to 200 x 85) enhances the value of skilled players. But it also makes lumbering enforcers obsolete. Guys incapable of contributing with their gloves on will soon be out of the league.

I have been an advocate for Euro Ice since the early 90's. The game needs to open up and also skill players the room to move and make plays without clutching, grabbing and trapping as much. I don't really know about the point about making enforcers obsolete, but who really cares abour enforcers anymore anyway? There are enough guys who are willing to fight and actually have skills that we don't really need an enforcer anymore, although we do still need fights. I will take my team as an example. Eric Goddard is worthless. He dresses only for Flyer, Ranger and Capital games and maybe Boston. He provides nothing to the team outside of fighting those 3 to 4 teams. Get rid of him. The Pens have guys who can fight, and fight good, and still contrubite skill wise, like Mike Rupp, Engelland and Talbot. Let's get rid of the Jody Shelley's and Eric Godard's. I see this also taking away what I call "the big galloot defense" This defense is played by defensemen like Hall Gill, Darien Hatcher, Chris Pronger, Zdeno Charra and a few other guys who basically just throw themselves in front of the skater and use their size to make the play. I would prefer to see defensemen make the play utilizing their skills as a defensemen. Then people will stop chirping about those overrated galloots being good and realize they are just average defensemen who skate poorly and might have a big slap shot. There is just no reason to not expand the ice.

5. Make Majors Matter - Players shouldn't have to subject themselves to concussions by fighting to keep pests in line. So how about this: For major penalties, the opposition selects which skater spends the five minutes in the box - and the offending player has to stay on the ice for the first two minutes of the power play.

I like this. It would effect my team, in that Cooke and Goddard would lead to Crosby and Malkin being off the ice more often, or maybe teams would pick a player like Jordan Staal to put in the box, the best penalty killers on each team. It also keeps a terrible penalty killer, like Goddard or Jody Shelley, on the ice for the first two minutes of the PK, which would vastly increase the chances of a goal resulting from the offense. It would not effect Cooke, as he is already one of the top 4 PK guys, but how many "pest" players fit that bill?

In summary, I like all these ideas, they would make the game more interesting and open up a roster spot on most teams for another guy who can contribute without really taking away the fights. I say, anything that allows for more offense and less injury is OK in my book.