Check Your Head

The National Hockey League (NHL) has been a source of entertainment for fans of the game for nearly a century. In the 2004-2005 season, however, the league went through a devastating lockout. The lockout only lasted one season as negotiations were made to tighten up the rules, and to incorporate a salary cap. The salary cap, which is still in place, gives each team a budget on how much they can pay their players. The controversy over the salary cap soon faded away, but with the beginning of the 2005-2006 season, the players noticed the sufficient changes that were made to the rules of the game.

There is a zero tolerance rule that means the slightest hook, hold, or just an aggressive outburst, will result in the player being penalized.  Hits from behind and hits to the head are closely examined to determine how many game suspensions a player should receive, which is completely fair and just. The only problem with this, however, is that every single hit where a player is hurt is analyzed by thousands of fans and the National Hockey League Players Association (NHLPA). Even if the hit is clean, it is scrutinized to the fullest extent.

Head checks are the biggest controversy in the NHL right now, and though they have always been a problem, they are under the microscope now because of the amount of injuries being sustained by players.  Many people are blaming the rule changes since the lockout, arguing that they avoid hitting other players from behind, which causes them to awkwardly collide and results in an injury anyway. Others think hitting should be taken right out of the game, but then no one would want to watch it. Hitting is such a huge part of hockey, and taking it out would result in a decrease in popularity; a no-hitting NHL is not the answer to this problem.

Head checks have always been a part of the game, and playing a contact sport leaves little room for change. The only reason they are being noticed more now is because more players are being injured, which is due to the fast pace of the game. The pace has undoubtedly increased over the past 10 years with the amount of technology coinciding with latest hockey equipment. Players’ equipment is bigger and more protective; they can skate faster, shoot harder, and inevitably hit harder. Although there are small changes that can be made to cut down on head checks/hits from behind, such as the “bear hug” rule, which allows a player to essentially hug another player instead of crushing them into the boards from behind, the NHLPA reluctantly wants to change the rules anymore.