Despite the rules, high hits just keep on coming

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November 24, 2009

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Years ago, I attended an event in the Twin Cities that featured hockey legend Gordie Howe. Folks lined up to shake his hand, get his autograph and have their picture taken with him.

Howe was more than accommodating, and whenever someone stood next to him for a photo, he would strike a pose by putting his elbow into the side of the person’s head.

Howe’s antics brought smiles to the faces of the fans who appreciated his reputation for rough-and-tumble play as much as they did his long career and penchant for scoring.

These days, no one’s laughing about elbows — or sticks or shoulders or fists, for that matter — to the head in hockey, especially in the college game.

Several on-ice incidents already this season prompted NCAA officials to hold an emergency conference call last week and issue a memo to coaches, commissioners and referees, reminding them of its policy when it comes to blows to the head.

The memo, the subject of which was “Contact to the Head and Blindside Hits,” instructed officials to maintain a heightened sense of awareness and penalize, when appropriate, any player who delivers a hit directly to the head or neck area of another player in any manner (e.g., elbow, forearm, stick, shoulder, etc.).”

At the bottom of the letter, the rule about high hits directly from the NCAA Ice Hockey Rules Book was reprinted, followed by a note that reads, “The rules committee instructs officials to use a zero tolerance policy in this area.”

Already this season there have been three notable high or blindside hits.

Wisconsin’s Craig Smith got a game-disqualification and an additional one-game suspension from his school for a frightening check from behind into the boards that knocked Geoff Irwin out of commission for two games with a shoulder injury.

Alaska-Anchorage’s Jade Portwood broke Minnesota freshman Nick Leddy’s jaw with a shoulder check, putting Leddy out for six weeks. There was no penalty on the hit, and Portwood was not suspended, despite Gophers coach Don Lucia’s plea for punishment.

And then there was the check from behind that St. Cloud State’s Aaron Marvin laid on North Dakota’s Chay Genoway. Genoway was knocked out for at least three games, and Marvin was suspended one game by the Western Collegiate Hockey Association for the hit, which has been replayed over and over again on YouTube.

“It still happens and it’s a mystery to me,” WCHA commissioner Bruce McLeod told the Associated Press last week. “We’ve beefed up that rule and our officials know to always err on the side of safety. They are doing the best they possibly can ... We’re trying to emphasize that there’s no tolerance for it, but it hasn’t stopped it from happening.”

Concussions in sports have received much attention recently.

Officials from the National Football League last month testified before Congress about brain injuries, and the idea of banning helmets from NFL practices was even floated recently.

In hockey, the Harvard men’s team is wearing new helmets this season that are designed to provide extra protection, and others have debated changes to the materials used in elbow and shoulder pads. Hopefully, those Crimson players are also buckling the chinstraps on those new helmets tightly and wearing their mouthguards and bucking a couple of disturbing trends practiced by players at all levels.

But it all starts with the hits and getting players to resist the temptation to slam someone’s head into the glass, especially when they least expect it.

No one wants to see pictures of players crumbling to the ice or, worse, leaving the rink on stretchers.

Shane Frederick is a Free Press staff writer. Click here to access his college hockey blog or e-mail him at sfrederick@mankatofreepress.com.

Sports Columns

Sports Columns