Maybe it's time we redefine exactly what a "hockey play" is.
The time for change has arrived and hitting from behind must - MUST! - be removed from the game.
The Tom Kostopoulos hit on Mike Van Ryn Saturday night was absolutely sickening. I am not one who normally has an immediate reaction to something that occurs in a hockey game because over the years I've learned that people tend to overreact. This time, however, the Kostopoulos hit is not an isolated incident. It is part of a continuing pattern. I hesitate to label it an epidemic, but it is obvious players have less regard for one another than ever before.
Van Ryn suffered a concussion, a fractured hand and a mouth injury. He has been a pleasant surprise for the surprisingly good Maple Leafs this season, but is now lost to his team for four to six weeks. So yes, it may have been an accidental hit, but it had dire consequences.
A year ago Philadelphia Flyers defenceman Randy Jones rammed Boston Bruins centre Patrice Bergeron into the boards from behind. It was pretty obvious that Jones did not intend to injure his opponent, but Bergeron sat out the rest of the season with a serious concussion.
Like many others I wrote off the Jones hit as a "hockey play." That's part of the lingo we use to excuse players from punishment for their crimes.
He didn't mean to knock the guy's teeth out; it was a hockey play. He didn't mean to blow the guy's knee out; it was a hockey play.
Well maybe it's time we redefine exactly what a "hockey play" is. We have grown too tolerant of actions that result in injury to an opponent. Do we have to put stop signs on the backs of players' jerseys the way they do in minor hockey?
If you accidentally trip a player, you are still penalized. Accidentally high-stick a player and it is two minutes in the box. Accidentally cut him with a high-stick and it's four minutes.
You get the picture?
There are times when it appears like the player being hit turned purposely to make himself vulnerable in an effort to draw a penalty. That isn't likely to change. But the NHL cannot ignore a serious problem simply because a couple of goofballs are playing the system. Identify those players just like you identify divers and make them accountable.
Randy Jones is not a dirty player and neither is Tom Kostopoulos. But their actions resulted in serious injuries to opponents and they should be held accountable. If Jones accidentally backed into Bergeron's car in the parking lot, he would have been responsible for whatever damage he caused. Same with Kostopoulos and Van Ryn.
Only it wasn't a car in the parking lot. It was a body and a career.
Now the NHL has an opportunity to take a stand. Don't sweep it under the carpet like it did with Jones last season - make players stand up and take notice. Hand out a punishment that makes the next guy who has a player lined up think twice before delivering a hit from behind.
The time for change has arrived.
