Monday, April 16, 2007
Eaves
This injury is a classic example of why the current system does not work. If you watch the video of the hit, nothing Armstrong did was or should be illegal. And nothing Eaves did was wrong either. He was getting pushed from behind by another Pittsburgh player, which seemed to cause him to lunge over so that Armstrong's hit landed on his head instead of his chest.
It was an accident--a confluence of events that unfortunately ended in the injury, but short of disavowing body checking, it is the kind of thing that will happen in a contact sport. Colby Armstrong was not head hunting, and Eaves was not failing to keep his head up.
If you're someone who doesn't skate (I'm not saying this to condescend, just to raise the point) it's hard to understand how effortless the NHL players make it look, and with the added worries of someone pushing you down and trying to skate a circle around the net, you might not always be able to be in a safe position.
Recklessness can and should be punished, because reckless play will tend to cause injuries, but intentional injury should be punished according to a schedule set out before each season and published--it should not vary based on the star quality of the player (either to let him off or to use him as an example).
But accidents will still happen.
POST-SEASON UPDATE: I forgot all about this first round whine that would echo louder and louder in Ottawa as the postseason went on.
It was an accident--a confluence of events that unfortunately ended in the injury, but short of disavowing body checking, it is the kind of thing that will happen in a contact sport. Colby Armstrong was not head hunting, and Eaves was not failing to keep his head up.
If you're someone who doesn't skate (I'm not saying this to condescend, just to raise the point) it's hard to understand how effortless the NHL players make it look, and with the added worries of someone pushing you down and trying to skate a circle around the net, you might not always be able to be in a safe position.
Recklessness can and should be punished, because reckless play will tend to cause injuries, but intentional injury should be punished according to a schedule set out before each season and published--it should not vary based on the star quality of the player (either to let him off or to use him as an example).
But accidents will still happen.
POST-SEASON UPDATE: I forgot all about this first round whine that would echo louder and louder in Ottawa as the postseason went on.
// posted by Rick @ 8:34 AM 
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