By: M. Patton
Baltimore, MD - What a difference a change in uniform makes when it comes to the severeness of a late hit on a star player. The entire hockey world has, by now, seen the replays of Cam Janssen's hit on Toronto's Tomas Kaberle and there seems to be a unanimous feeling that the hit was late. Kaberle was defenseless and the hit was to the head. In retrospect, considering that Kaberle hit the boards pretty hard after the head shot, he is lucky it was not much worse.
What is most troubling was the aftermath of the hit. The NHL wasted no time in slapping a well deserved suspension on Janssen, which I actually feel was lenient, and the press wasted no time analyzing the hit as dirty. While I remain on board with this assessment of Janssen's hit, I still must ask where this outrage was when the hit was on Chris Drury.
Before the comments start rolling in that this "damn American" learn the game, let's get it out of the way that Neil's hit on Drury was questionable and Janssen's hit was flat out dirty, so please save the comments. But, the tune that the Canadian hockey press sung two weeks ago was everything from it was Drury's fault because of his helmet to the old "it's a shame, but it's part of the game" bit.
Baltimore, MD - What a difference a change in uniform makes when it comes to the severeness of a late hit on a star player. The entire hockey world has, by now, seen the replays of Cam Janssen's hit on Toronto's Tomas Kaberle and there seems to be a unanimous feeling that the hit was late. Kaberle was defenseless and the hit was to the head. In retrospect, considering that Kaberle hit the boards pretty hard after the head shot, he is lucky it was not much worse.
What is most troubling was the aftermath of the hit. The NHL wasted no time in slapping a well deserved suspension on Janssen, which I actually feel was lenient, and the press wasted no time analyzing the hit as dirty. While I remain on board with this assessment of Janssen's hit, I still must ask where this outrage was when the hit was on Chris Drury.
Before the comments start rolling in that this "damn American" learn the game, let's get it out of the way that Neil's hit on Drury was questionable and Janssen's hit was flat out dirty, so please save the comments. But, the tune that the Canadian hockey press sung two weeks ago was everything from it was Drury's fault because of his helmet to the old "it's a shame, but it's part of the game" bit.
Now, the Canadian press is taking up the cause of questioning the legality of hits to the head. In today's Toronto Sun, there is a terrific article by Steve Simmons about head hits and how they ruin careers. (http://www.torontosun.com/Sports/Columnists/Simmons_Steve/2007/03/06/3703535-sun.html) But, why did it take a Toronto star to suffer a hit like this before the cause was taken up? It isn't about dirty hits, but about head hits and both Kaberle and Drury were hit in the head. Suddenly, these hits are not just Buffalo's problem, but the game's problem, as stated in the article.
If Kaberle's hit doesn't happen, does this article get written? Of course not and that is the problem. Tom Golisano, a man with a vested interest in the game and his players, sends an open letter to the league regarding these hits and is mocked. A Leaf sustains an injury by a head shot and the Canadian hockey press now voices the same concerns for which they mocked Golisano.
Last week, they (head shots) were a part of the game. This week, they are now a league wide concern. Isn't it amazing how an incident involving a different uniform can change things?
If Kaberle's hit doesn't happen, does this article get written? Of course not and that is the problem. Tom Golisano, a man with a vested interest in the game and his players, sends an open letter to the league regarding these hits and is mocked. A Leaf sustains an injury by a head shot and the Canadian hockey press now voices the same concerns for which they mocked Golisano.
Last week, they (head shots) were a part of the game. This week, they are now a league wide concern. Isn't it amazing how an incident involving a different uniform can change things?
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