As NHL GMs prepare to convene in Florida, there's no question what issue will top their agenda.
CLEARWATER, FLA — A year ago, on the Sunday before the annual National Hockey League general managers’ meetings, Matt Cooke must have decided the agenda was not to his liking.
It was on Sunday March 7, 2010, when his hit on Marc Savard set the GMs’ mandate, and over the next three days in Boca Raton, Rule 48 was born.
"You have to be conscious of trends, and there was a trend," said Vancouver GM Mike Gillis. "We saw those (back pressure) hits that were resulting in devastating injuries — and they were addressed. Now, that rule is still being worked on. Now we’re seeing a different kind of hit."
They will reconvene on Monday through Wednesday in the same Florida coastal town, and the primary goal hasn’t changed: They’ll remain focused on what the Official NHL Rulebook calls: "Rule 48 — Illegal Check to the Head."
Stand down, anti-fighting lobby. The recent call for eliminating fighting from the NHL is not specifically on the agenda.
"I have not heard anyone suggest that it’s going to be a topic," said Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke. "I assume it will come up … but I certainly do not detect any appetite for the elimination of fighting."
NHL vice president Colin Campbell agreed.
"Anything that is part of the landscape of concussion or hard hits, we will discuss," he said.
Campbell would not divulge the three-day agenda, but he also indicated that the elimination of fighting is not on the National Hockey League’s front burner.
Campbell, who deferred to Mike Murphy on the Zdeno Chara ruling following the hit on Montreal’s Max Pacioretty because Campbell’s son Gregory is Chara’s Boston teammate, also said the recent furor over the Pacioretty incident simply focuses the GMs down a path they have already been travelling.
"Doesn’t change it at all. Not one iota," Campbell said of the furor over the Pacioretty-Chara incident. "It only highlights that people are looking for the NHL to do something (further on head shots). It’s incumbent on us to do something, but not in haste."
Added Gillis: "I do know there is clearly a public outcry. We’ll field that in discussion."
And so on Monday the GMs will view a league presentation chronicling perhaps hundreds of different hits that have resulted in concussions going back through the decades.
Then the GMs will traditionally break into smaller groups charged with examining the different elements of the game that have resulted in concussions.
Rule 48 contains language that states, "A lateral or blind side hit to an opponent where the head is targeted and/or the principle point of contact is not permitted."
This time around, Burke sees three ways the GMs may extend the reach of Rule 48.
"One is status quo, where there is a feeling the rule is working. That some amount of contact has to be permitted," Burke began. "We don’t want this league to be like the OHL or college, where an otherwise clean check that results in contact with the head is penalized."
The second option could be to devise a minor penalty to be called any time the head is contacted during a check. Option No. 3 would be to retain the same standards, but direct Campbell towards protracted suspensions.
"Push for longer, stiffer suspensions. Ask Collie to do more enhanced review," Burke said. "The issue is the role of hitting in our game. We need (north-south, legal hits) in our game. In the OHL that’s a penalty if the head is contacted. We’ve got to keep that hit in our game."
As concussions rise however, the pressure mounts for the NHL to find a solution. And it’s not just coming from inside the game. It is fans, politicians, sponsors — everyone.
That causes Burke and his colleagues to look inward. These guys consider themselves the protectors of the game’s integrity, a role they take very seriously.
"Let’s start with the basic premise that we’re going to have head injuries," Burke said. "The notion that we’re going to get to zero concussions, that’s just ridiculous. You take physical contact out, and people just aren’t interested in watching it."
The GMs will also discuss different overtime formats once again, perhaps moving from 4-on-4 to 3-on-3 at some point in the extra period.
Though Burke admitted his issue with the limited number of post-deadline call-ups will have little traction, he’ll pitch his "bear hug" rule, which would allow a defenceman to wrap his arms around a forward as a protective measure.
We’re doubtful that will fly.
He’ll also re-pitch his "hybrid" icing scheme, which would see the whistle blown if the defensive player is winning the race for the puck at the hashmarks, but allow the race to go the distance if the offensive player is tied or in the lead.
"They use it in the USHL," Burke said. "It eliminates the risk, but saves the race."
