The NHL has hit the player head injury and concussion issue on the head issuing all teams, including the Dallas Stars, a 10 minute video of Brendan Shanahan, head of the new Department of Player Safety, and NHLPA Special Advisor Mathieu Schneider explaining the new NHL head shot and boarding rules.
Here's what the Dallas Stars learned recently while at training camp at Prince Edward Island.
Shanahan, retired New Jersey Devils winger, says his mandate is to 1) protect players, 2) deal with equipment and safety issues related to equipment, and 3) administer supplimental player discipline.
How will this new department oversee these actions?
With more video of course. In addition to the Toronto video room where all plays are reviewed, the Department of Player Safety now has their own video room in New York where they will "focus solely on player safety," says Brendan Shanahan.
What are the new rules?
There are two rule changes beginning the 2011-2012 NHL hockey season: head checks and boarding.
Rule 48.1 Illegal check to the head
The rule on head checks is nothing new, however, the wording and meaning has changed. No longer will referees have to make judgement calls on whether the hit was north, south, east, or west. Shanahan and department removed the words "lateral" and "blindsided." A hit to the head is a hit to the head.
What the refs will have to decide is whether the was targeted and the principal point of contact and when the opponent put himself in a vulnerable position. If the opponent is in a vulnerable position long enough that the attacker had time to change his course or alter how hard he hit will be at the discretion of the refs.
“A hit resulting in contact with an opponent’s head where the head is targeted AND the principal point of contact is not permitted. However, in determining whether such a hit should have been permitted, the circumstances of the hit, including whether the opponent put himself in a vulnerable position IMMEDIATELY PRIOR OR SIMULTANEOUSLY with the hit or the head contact on an otherwise legal body check was avoidable, can be considered.”
The major penalty provision has been removed and replaced as an minor two minute on-ice penalty. But, remember, the extra video. Later penalties and discipline could be incurred upon review.
Shanahan and Schneider used several plays in the video to exemplify both legal and illegal hits. The illegal hits were definitely illegal, and the legal hits, while they still hurt, were good examples, especially the Dallas vs. San Jose Sharks, where Louis Erikkson #21 reaches forward with his stick to chase the puck and gets hit with a full body check by Douglas Murray #3.
Shanahan narrates, "Although there is contact with the head, there is a full body check, where the head is not targeted."
"Now, the confusion some of the players have expressed in the past as to what direction they're approaching a player, what direction a player is facing, east, west, north, south, that has all been taken out," Shanahan said. "Anywhere on the ice, coming from any direction, you target the head and make it a principal point of contact, you'll be subject to a two-minute penalty. You'll also be -- as with all two-minute penalties or non-calls -- subject to supplementary discipline.
2. Rule 41.1 Boarding
The key words here are "pushes" and "defenseless" (replacing the word "vulnerable").
"A boarding penalty shall by imposed on any player who checks or PUSHES a DEFENSELESS opponent in such a manner that causes the opponent to hit or impact the boards violently or dangerously. The severity of the penalty, based upon the impact with the boards, shall be at the discretions of the referee.
There is an enormous amount of judgment involved in the application of this rule by the referees. The onus is on the player applying the check to ensure his opponent is not in a DEFENSELESS position and if so, he must AVOID or MINIMIZE contact.
Any unnecessary contact with a player playing the puck on an obvious “icing” or “off-side” play which results in that player hitting or impacting into the boards is “boarding” and must be penalized as such. In other instances where there is no contact with the boards, it should be treated as “charging.” "
In the example videos given, Dallas is again used in the Dallas vs. San Jose game where Jamie Langenbrunner (now with St. Louis) hits his opponent, obviously rattling him, making him slow to get up. Langenbrunner sees his opponent against the boards and decides to finish his check. However, the San Jose opponent turned at the last minute to follow the puck, too late for Dallas to avoid hitting him and manages to minimize the hit by making an effort to adjust.
"This is a legal check," says Shanahan. "Split seconds can separate legal and illegal."
"What we did is we took the onus off the violence of the hit itself and added the word 'push' in there," Shanahan said. "It really has more to do with the violence in the collision with the boards. We don't necessarily think it has to be a violent hit to cause a violent crash, so we broadened the rule by putting in the word 'push.'"
Will these rule changes work?
They will certainly change the play to some extent. Just how much last minute adjustment can a hockey player make when barrelling down on his opponent without hurting himself in the process? It'll be up to the refs, as usual, to make the judgement calls, and the players to argue them.
While the NHL may not have hit "the nail on the head" completely, give them credit for at least jumping on the bandwagon and banging their instruments loudly. And certainly, these rule changes are a bandwagon-effect for all of hockey. However these rules changes play out, they are, at least, dance steps in the right direction.
How will this affect the Dallas Stars?
Steve Ott might be chriping more.
Be ready for some interesting hockey, and hopefully fewer injuries, this year.
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