One of hockey's defining characteristics is its physical nature, and for the NHL, that has always been both a selling point and a source of controversy.
The league sells hard, fast, physical hockey and presumably has no desire to change that. However, the NHL also has a responsibility to protect its players and provide an environment where injuries are at least somewhat avoidable. Over the years, the league has tried to walk a fine line between preserving the health of its star players and not compromising the ructious nature of the game.
It's difficult to navigate those competing priorities in the regular season, but it becomes even harder in the playoffs. The referees on the ice and the officials levying supplementary discipline, share an understandable desire not to influence games or series, but to leave them in the hands of the competing players and teams.
All too often, this results in a hands-off approach and a style of play that would not be tolerated even during the regular season.
To illustrate this point, this slideshow considers a number of incidents over the course of the 2016 playoffs and envisions how a league less wary ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Jonathan Willis
Breaking Down the Ugly Hits in the 2016 NHL Playoffs and the League’s Response
May 17th, 2016 by Jonathan Willis Leave a reply »
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