NHL Head Shot Debate | Youthink
Image credit:  iStock | Many NHL stars have fallen victim to head shots this season.

The Hockey Debate: Should Head Shots Be Banned from the NHL?

by Morgan Dick - Henry Wise Wood High School, Calgary, AB and Daniel Gorodetsky - Burnaby Mountain Secondary, Burnaby BC Mar 29, 2011
Morgan says, "Yes, head shots should be banned from the NHL."
 
Debate surrounding head shots in the NHL has reached new heights in the last few weeks, as the league continues to buzz over Boston Bruins Zdeno Chara’s controversial hit on Montreal’s Max Pacioretty. However the NHL continues to drag its heels on making the much-needed rule changes that could prevent future injuries.

Canadiens forward Pacioretty suffered a broken vertebra after being forced up into a stanchion between the benches: yet another incident that proves the NHL rulebook does not do enough to protect its players. Pacioretty joins the ever-growing list of NHLers – including stars Marc Savard and Sidney Crosby – who have been forced out of the line up by concussions this season. As the year, a disastrous one for injuries, winds down, it’s clear that a blanket ban on head shots is necessary to ensure players’ safety.

It was a year ago this month that the NHL introduced Rule 48, which penalizes blindside head shots. We’ve seen some success with the rule, as players have begun to turn away from what could be dangerous hits.

Just as essential, however, is a rule that would make all hits to the head – both incidental and intentional – illegal, and resulting in an automatic two-minute penalty. Only when head shots are banned entirely will the NHL divert from the ruthless style of play that leaves players so vulnerable.

Opponents of such a rule are quick to argue that it would take speed and physicality out of the game. But is the quality of the hockey being played hurt any less when top players are having seasons and even careers cut short because of serious injury?

Hockey is hockey; even with a ban on head shots, it would remain a tough, physical game. Let’s just make sure that our stars – our top scorers and our hardest hitters, alike – will stay healthy enough to play it.
 
Daniel says, "No, head shots should not be banned from the NHL."

Head shots being banned from the NHL would change the game drastically in the wrong direction. Hitting is an integral part of the game and sometimes those hits end up connecting higher than others.

An open ice, shoulder-to-head hit is what many of today’s hockey fans grew up with and have loved from the time they started understanding penalties. Scott Stevens, considered one of the greatest defenceman of all time, is famous for his massive hits in which his shoulder would hit the opposing player in the head. That’s right; they were hits to the head. Stevens, a respected defenceman now holds a spot in the Hockey Hall of Fame and was loved for his tremendous ability to perform head shots. So why all the fuss lately?

It is because players have been taking liberties: blind side hits to the head, elbows and even using specific parts of the rink (as in the Chara and Pacioretty case) that they know are dangerous. These hits are not injuring players just because they are hits to the head; they are hurting the players because they are done in an intentionally dangerous manner.

Yes, the head is the target of these hits, but that’s because players are trying to injure one another. Clean open ice hits that have made hockey richer for so many years should not have to feel the repercussions of these irresponsible intents to injure. Scott Stevens never purposely pushed Paul Kariya into the rink’s turnbuckle at a high speed; he punished him with a perfect shoulder check.

The solution to the NHL’s problems does not lie in eliminating hits to the head. The solution is in addressing dirty hits that have no place in hockey. Fines should be larger and suspensions much longer, but banning hits to the head from the NHL would be nothing short of tragic.
 
 

Do you think head shots should be banned from the NHL?
 

 

Comments (1)
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I don't think banning head

Submitted by mariellao on Mon, 04/04/2011 - 18:21.

I don't think banning head shots will ultimately take the physicality out of the game; rather, it will make it more safe. In my opinion, (clean) open ice hits, hip and shoulder checks would still bring the toughness, while eliminating serious injury risk to players. Head shots AND dirty hits should be taken out of the game.

However, players themselves should take up the responsibility to protect themselves. If a player is about to check someone and sees the other player's "numbers" or that they're in a vulnerable spot, they should let up. On the other hand, if they're facing away from the rink (just like the Hamhuis/Getzlaf incident), they should be aware that they could be hit from behind and try to protect themselves. Therefore, the players getting hit and the players receiving the hit should do their part in protecting each other or themselves.

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