Shouldn't the onus be on players to avoid collisions that could cause serious injury?
When a third- or fourth-line player collides with a superstar, it is very seldom happenstance.
"I can't speak for (David) Steckel," said Minnesota centre John Madden, a true veteran of the National Hockey League wars. "But having played against (Sidney) Crosby and knowing the game plan, you've got to play physical against Crosby, against (Alex Ovechkin… They get run at a lot more."
It was during the Winter Classic when Steckel was faced with the decision whether to avert a collision with Crosby, who was turning up ice and carelessly oblivious to the fact he was cutting right into a path already established by Steckel.
Watch the collision. Crosby skates into Steckel's path, and the Washington winger is the only one who sees the impact coming. He is also the one who can avoid it, and he chooses not to. The end result is a shoulder to the head that concusses Crosby.
The issue is, can Steckel be held accountable for simply skating through Crosby's head with his shoulder, even though Crosby left his head there for the hitting? Should Steckel be, in effect, protecting Crosby on the play?
Considering what Crosby means to hockey, we would say that, yes, you should suspend any player who injures a Crosby, an Alex Ovechkin, or a Sedin brother on a play they had every chance to avoid.
"I think the rules are there for any player," said Pierre-Marc Bouchard, the Minnesota Wild centre who missed over 100 games with post-concussion syndrome. "For sure, Crosby is the top player in the league, and I'm sure they're taking a better look at it (now). But other players have been hit this year and they're looking at (those) too."
Crosby returned to play the next game after the Winter Classic, took another head shot against Tampa, and has not returned to the Penguins lineup since. So as five games lost morphs into six, and as the spectre of a Jan. 30 all-star game minus the league's best player edges closer to reality, we're wondering just where the onus lies in protecting a player who puts food on everyone's table in the NHL -- especially guys like Steckel.
The NHL's VP of hockey operations, Colin Campbell, took a long look at the play, deciding against any supplemental discipline. He told sportsnet.ca that there was nothing to indicate it wasn't incidental contact. He also noted that Steckel has a clean record through more than 270 NHL games, and has never been known to throw a great deal of clean hits, let alone dirty ones.
"A lot of times you have to look and see what kind of player it is. Track record speaks 1,000 words," said Edmonton defenceman Tom Gilbert. "I don't think (Steckel) has ever been that guy."
So, let us summarize: a pacifist spots a situation where a star opponent has left himself vulnerable. The puck is a zone away, the pacifist has established his lane and is merely skating up ice. The star foolishly crosses his path, and the pacifist lays his shoulder into the star's head, concussing him.
The same way players have asked other players to "tap on the brakes" when they have an opponent in a clearly dangerous position, is that pacifist not obliged to avoid contact with Crosby's -- or anybody's -- head?
If players are indeed serious about ending these debilitating concussions, shouldn't Steckel be held responsible, as he was the one in a position to ensure a head shot did not occur?
"I don't think it matters which player it is (who is hurt)," Gilbert said. "It matters how may times it occurs. How many guys are going down during a season?"
Joe Thornton caught St. Louis' David Perron with a head shot on Nov. 4. Thornton got two games. Perron has not yet returned.
Bouchard missed over 100 games after a concussion he got on March of 2009. What if Crosby were to miss 100 games?
"I understand the way the league generates its revenues. Obviously, those are the players who generate more money, because of what they do," Madden said. "But it doesn't matter if you make $550,000 a year and play seven minutes a game. The rules are for everybody. Past record or not.
"The rules aren't put into place to protect one or two guys."
