Business Meeting

Bizzzznnnisssss Meeetttiiiinnngg

I know he wasn't part of the business meeting, but he's what I think of every time we make that joke, Mina

 

Just some house keeping stuff and then we'll get to making fun of Colin Campbell.

First: I know we mentioned this before but you all might not know that we have a lovely, bright, shiny new app of awesome! You can download it here and take us with you wherever you go. Metaphorically speaking.

Second: Have you added us on facebook yet? You should!

Third: We're coming down to the end of the season, which mean we'll have soon faced all 29 other NHL teams. After doing a quick art audit, it appears that I never did post Mr. Hurricane piggy pig after Mina filled in for me that gameday. I'll have to fix that.

Fourth: ECHL Hockey! Discounted tickets! Buy now now now!

And now, We make fun of Colin Campbell.

According to a reporter following the GM's meeting in lovely, warm, (and admittedly rather boring) Florida, Colin Campbell has been quoted saying that "hits are great until someone gets hurt."

Yes sir, and water is wet, the earth is round, and ice is cold. All these are known facts and stating any one of them as if it is some giant revolutionary thought is bound to get you made fun of for a few days. That just a ridiculous over simplication.

Now I understand that quote is entirely without context and therefore provides a likely inaccurate picture of what Campbell and the GMs are thinking when it comes to hits in game.  But the question isn't about hits, it's about hits to the head. I understand that on occasion incidental contact with the head and or neck will be made. It's the nature of such a fast moving, physical ice skating beast. You will never remove all dangerous hits, but they should damn well try to eliminate as many of them as possible. Elbows should not connect with skull on the ice on purpose. Just like knee on knee hits and slew footing, they should be treated as universally dirty, and penalized as such.

Concussions aren't a joke. This is your brain on a bruise. The idea that our most important organ sloshing around in our cranial cavity and slamming into it at a sudden and high rate of speed is little more than a bump in the road needs to be thrown out.

There needs to be a standard. It needs to be doled out either on the ice, or by the league, or both, but there needs to be some kind of message sent to the players that this sort of stuff isn't ok. Dudes shouldn't be blindsided by an elbow in their face.

The Olympics still featured a lot of hits, despite head hunting being a no no. Why not look at what the international community did? Not saying you have to copy them, but look at how they handle to issue. What are the pros and cons? How could you adapt the most effective parts of their rules to NHL play? How can you change the NHL's enforcement of said rules? What about the lower levels that feed into the NHL? How do they handle dangerous hits and head shots? Has it affected the game negatively or positively? How do the players feel about the rules? What about the fans? Coaches?

There's a happy medium somwhere, it just may take a few tries to find it. Rules can be changed. Let's start changing them for the better.