NHL Board of Governors approve changes to Rules regarding illegal head shots –NHL Offseason Update
Rule 48 of the National Hockey League (NHL), which deals with illegal shots to head, was expanded in its definition on Tuesday as the NHL’s Board of Governors approved two of the suggestions made in the meetings of the league's general managers and forwarded
by the Competition Committee.
Since there was a surge in illegal hits to head during games this season which caused an epidemic of concussions throughout the league, the upper management of the league, which consisted of NHL representatives, general managers and players, proposed some
changes.
Now, no hit to the head will be considered legal, even if it is from a viewable angle, unlike before when only hits from blind or lateral sides of player. The rule was introduced just a year earlier and has been revised to lessen the player injuries, especially
head related ones.
"I do think the NHL has been well ahead of it than everyone else", said Brendan Shanahan, the league's vice president in charge of player safety. "We took the step to put in Rule 48 this year. As the season was going along, we felt that the players were
responding well to it and that the game could handle going another step further".
Hits that specifically target the head from any direction will now result in a minimum two minute penalty and can result into a major or even a game suspension depending on how the hit was made.
There were many suggestions that huge suspensions should be given instead of minor penalties, but that would just result in the game becoming boring and not action packed like it is meant to be.
"There is an appetite for longer suspensions. I think we need to raise the bar for those type of hits without getting crazy," Toronto Maple Leafs' general manager, Brian Burke, said.
The rules which have been approved to change by the NHL’s Board of Governors will become active at the beginning of the 2011-2012 regular season to overcome the number of injuries sustained by players due to headshots.
The upcoming season will be a test phase to see if the changing works or if further improvement is needed.
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