The NHL set out to eliminate blindside hits over the summer by setting stricter rules and guidelines. These rules were designed to punish those who deliver career-altering hits to vulnerable players. However, when the time arrived to implement said rules, the NHL turned a blind eye once again.
Tuesday night, in a game that featured the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks and the Buffalo Sabres, Niklas Hjalmarsson delivered a blindside hit to a very vulnerable Jason Pominville.
During the play Pominville was set to receive a pass along the boards and was crushed from behind by the Hawks defender. Hjalmarsson could clearly see the play developing and was skating hard towards the Sabres forward when he delivered the hit.
Pominville suffered a concussion and had to be carried off the ice on a stretcher.
While the elbow of Hjalmarsson never made contact with Pominville's head, the hit was clearly from the blindside and resulted in a serious injury to the head of the Sabres player.
That said, it seems that the new rules in place would enforce a stiff punishment for Niklas to set the tone for future plays.
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Joel Dundas
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