Like Rodney, There's No Respect

Every time we turn on the sports these days, the number one topic that keeps bring brought up by the so-called experts is headshots in the NHL.

The majority of these hockey analysts feel the National Hockey League needs to make changes to their rules in order to force players to stop taking dangerous liberties on opposing players. Their feeling is that suspensions and more costly fines will get the job done and force players to stop targeting the heads of other players.

OK, maybe it will. I'm certainly no expert on the subject and I can honestly say if I was told I couldn't play the game I love for ten games and would lose $50-thousand dollars of my salary, I might think twice.

Hockey is a contact sport and accidents happen but one way to stop these "accidents" from taking place would be to penalize those who come in contact with the head of another player, even if they didn't mean to. Zero tolerance would be the term I suppose.

Recently Sidney Crosby became the latest poster boy for headshots when he was nailed not once but twice and has since been sidelined with a concussion. First he was "accidentally" hit by David Steckel of the Washington Capitals during the Winter Classic game. Steckel denies he did it on purpose but what do you expect him to say. Anybody who saw the replay knows he fully intended to hit Crosby. He had to see him and his non-reaction after they came together made it even more obvious.

The very next game Crosby was the target again as his head was the only thing between the glass and a hit by Victor Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Do you think this would have been tolerated years ago had it been Gretzky on the receiving end? The league would have had something to say about it and better yet, his teammates would have taken matters into their own hands.

Marc Savard was the victim of one of the cheapest and nastiest headshots I've ever seen when Pittsburgh's Matt Cooke blindsided him. What did Savard's Boston teammates do? Not a whole hell of a lot. I guess we're into the kinder gentler Bettman NHL now.

So what is the answer? Rule changes will likely be the end result but the real change has to come from the players themselves. There's no honour and respect among many of the players today. It's one thing to make contact with a guy coming at you but far too often the blindside hits or hits from behind to the head are the most damaging.

Until the players themselves realize that this crap needs to stop, there will continue to be a steady stream of stretchers to the ice and stars on the injured reserve list.