Where do we start? We have long known that the NHL is a garbage league. The league promotes not calling penalties in a close game because they don't want the referees determining the outcome of a game (Can you imagine MLB telling its umpires not to call third strikes on close pitches because it might effect the outcome of the game? Can you imagine Tennis officials telling their umpires not to call double faults if the ball was close to being good?). We also know that they are the only professional sports league that has done nothing to help the stars be stars. They allow less talented players to hook, obstruct and otherwise prevent the McDavids of the world from showing off their talent night in and night out. These are just some of the reasons mainstream America looks at the NHL as one step above the World Wrestling Federation.
Over the past few years, however, I've seen a drastic change in the game in regards to what had always been a staple of the NHL's popularity: Hitting. Last night's Sabres/Bruins game was a perfect example of the downright stupidity that pervades the NHL today. Early in the 1st period, the Bruins Kevan Miller hit Sabres winger Jacob Josefson with a perfectly legal clean check along the boards. It was a beautiful hit, one that fans of hockey have always looked forward to. What happened next, however, is what again shows just how garbage a leagur the NHL is. Sabre Zack Bogosian, after seeing what he later admitted was a "clean hit" felt the need to attack Miller in order to "protect his teammate". What???? When did this become the norm in hockey? What has happened to the game when a player who hits someone with a good clean check gets attacked by another player? To make matters worse, there was no extra penalty on Bogosian as the instigator? WTF!!!!
This type of thing is what is taking hitting out of the game. A player now knows that if he's going to hit smeone with a good clean check he's going to get attacked and is going to have to fight. Why? Buffalo News writer John Vogl caled this "old-time hockey". John must have watched Slapshot a few too many times as this is the antithesis of "Old Time hockey". Before recently, a player who got hit with a good clean check would get up off the ice and look to deliver a similar good clean check later in the game to the guy that had hit him. His teammates would laugh and joke to him saying things like "did you get the number of the bus that just ran you over?" That was Old time Hockey. Even in the 70's when brawling was out of hand and fights were common place in NHL games, the fights weren't as a result of good clean hits. Fights resulted from dirty/cheaphits. There is nothing wrong with that. A player who slew foots, elbows, spears or otherwise hits his opponent in a dirty manner should get attacked. That's why fighting is allowed in this league. I have no problem with those fights.
Not only do today's players actually believe that they HAVE to respond to a good clean check on their teammate, they are criticized by idiots in the booth (can you say Mike Milbury) if they don't take the law into their own hands and seek retribution. What a fricking joke!!! What has the NHL done in response? Absolutely nothing. I have not seen one instance this year where the attacking player gets the extra two minute minor and game misconduct that the rules provide for when one player is the instigator. Last night Bogosian was clearly the instigator. He went directly after Miller and attacked him. If that's not an instigator then I don't know what one is.
The downside to all of this (besides being laughed at by every major sport) is that this conduct will, unless taken care of, will stop players from hitting their opponents because they don't want to have to fight. How many times did we cheer Patrick Kaleta for delivering good clean hits? For God's sake we have the Carruba Collision up on the jumbo-tron every game. The league and its fans want hitting. Unless someone steps in and stops this nonsensical "just sticking up for my teammate" conduct we will slowly see clean hits eliminated from the game.
Make the instigator pay for his actions when he responds to a good clean check. If you don't we will see another great thing about hockey disappear.
