NHL Promotes Stick Violence

The NHL is endangering its players.  The NHL is supposed to be rough.  It is supposed to be physical.  Fans love its speed and physicality.  The blend of the beautiful and the burly.  Lets face it, hockey is a game that came from the great white north where it is dark and cold much of the time, a land that is is still largely wild and unsettled. Fighting is considered just part of the game.  As a result, the game brings with it a culture of toughness.  One thing that hockey has never had, at least up until now, is an acceptance of using the stick as a weapon.  Drop the sticks, drop the gloves, and duke it out.  Under Gary Bettman, however, things are changing, and there are no consequences for blatant use of the stick with intent to injure.

Lets go back a few years and review an incident that ended a man's career.  Granted he was on the very back end of his hockey career, but his vicious and violent act was considered so heinous that he suffered a heavy suspension, was convicted in a court of law for assault, and largely became untouchable by any team or source of media.  Take a look at Marty McSorley's strike against Donald Brashear.
https://youtu.be/zHwUNftlO1A
McSorley had been the protector of the great one, and loved for it in both Edmonton and Los Angeles.  This one action forever tainted his legacy, and rightly so.  It was an abhorrent act.

Sadly, these days, McSorley wouldn't have even gotten a penalty.  Let's take a look at some of the more egregious offenses, but by no means do these examples exist in a vacuum.  Lets look at something more recent.
https://youtu.be/in_apl7FcTY
Morrisey should be suspended.  End of story.  Who cares if the ref missed it.  Stick infractions to the head should be instant suspensions, especially when the intent is there.  In this instance, there can be no doubt about Morrisey's intent.  What did the NHL do about it?  Nothing.  This incompetent and dangerous league impotently sat and watched, apparently saying, "Suck it up Staal."

How does the line go from the old tv adds, "But wait, there's more."  Let's look at another example from the previous night.
https://youtu.be/AN8YQChijGA
Again, there can be no confusion about Haula's intent as he strikes the butt end of his stick violently against Anze Kopitar's jaw.  Again, no penalty, and no suspension from Gary Bettman, or the NHL.  It seems as if the NHL is taking the Dave the Killer Carlson perspective that Haula and Morrisey are simply the product of a poor home environment.

The striking thing about all of this, is that the NHL, while completely failing to protect it's players from violent stick shots to the head, feigns to care about concussions and shots to the head that aren't stick related.  Enter Drew Doughty, who makes a legal check, with no attempt to injure, on a player that was carrying the puck, and happened to have his head down, which is never a wise move when driving toward your opponent's net.
https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/ron-don-doughty-not-suspended/
If you  like Coaches Corner feel free to watch the whole thing, but otherwise check out 6:20 into the video.
No penalty was called, because it was a legal play, but Gary Bettman and the host of conscientious executives at the NHL had to take a stand against hits to the head.  Never mind that the player with the puck altered his course and speed slightly causing the shot to the head.  Never mind that the puck carrier has every right to expect defenders to come at them, and thus should be expected to defend themselves.  Never mind that this puck carrier wasn't hit from behind, and wasn't in a precarious position that rendered him defenseless.

Let's go back a year, and take look at a hit on Sid the Kid, arguably the NHL's best offensive player, leader, and three time Stanley Cup champion.
https://youtu.be/mnxZlChM87Y
At least here, the referees made the right call, but the NHL still dropped the ball.  A significant suspension should have been levied on this obviously intentional crosscheck to the head.

Without the best players in the world, the NHL will be more like watching the Los Angeles Chargers, or the Cleveland Browns...unwatchable.  In addition, the NHL should definitely consider it's players as human beings, and thus have their health and well being as a primary concern.  The actions, or rather lack of action demonstrates clearly that the NHL doesn't care for it's players health, well being, or for that matter the game of hockey.  Their complete lack of action and inconsistency demonstrates an intentional systematic failure to do what is right.  The NHL has made it clear that stick infractions to the head are perfectly fine.



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