Bettman's 5 Step Approach

   Its been hard to focus on hockey right now seeing all the world issues, continuing  to have a major effect on so many lives. With the devastating, natural and man made disasters in japan,  I wish the people the best of luck in the coming days. Unfortunately hockey can't stop so here's my look on the Bettman 5 step plan.

      Gary Bettman has been under fire lately from some major sponsors and also Mario Lemieux forcing him to come up with his 5 step approach to reduce the number of head injuries. Facts prove that 17 % of the head injuries are from "illegal hits" so my 3 strike system only applies to that small percentage. That leaves us with 78% of injuries to the head injuries falling under different categorizes.(the NHL left out 5% because they couldn't find the video). This leaving Bettman to come up with a much more complex plan to try and conquer the issue. His plan is as follows; 1st Bettman is acquiring the services of Brendan Shanahan to review the equipment and make the proper changes. I believe this is the main issue. The elbow and shoulder pad seem to cause the most problems on the ice. This has to be examined under a microscope. A lot of people say we need to go back to the old style of pads. This could pose a major problem, the game is bigger, stronger, and faster, if Shanahan can come up with a way to not jeopardize the safety of the player and reduce the amount of hard plastic then this could help.This can not be done over night so maybe look for the effect of this first step in the next season. Secondly, the NHL will be revising the concussion protocol   If player is suspected to have suffered one, he must be removed from the bench for an assessment in a quiet area. I feel this will have no effect. 3rd, is part of the idea I had come up with, seeing a team receive fines and other types of consequences for having a player dishing out head shots. 4th step is the second most important step that is going to take place (aside from the equipment), having safety engineers review the arenas and find a design for the glass. They may even suggest to make the rink larger, not Olympic size but maybe just to adapt to the size of the new NHL. The last step Bettman says the NHL will take is to gather a special group of players (Shanahan, R Blake, Yzerman, Niuewendyk) and have them further review the various injuries and devise any other ways to attack this problem.


    

3 Strikes You're Out

      It has been a crazy week in hockey, seeing the unrest of the head shot in the forefront. After many debates, I believe the most logical way for the NHL to finally get a strangle hold on the head shot problem is a 3 strike system. This idea I have come up with was derived from the proven criminal system used in California, and also some simple psychology. If they threaten to take something from a human it’s instinct to apply every means possible to protect what they have. That being said, the best possible way for this system to be rolled out is the following: If a player is given the questionable 2 minute penalty for a head shot, he will automatically be put in front of a panel of ex NHL hockey player's with a minimum 5 years retired from the league. From there the panel will decide unanimously if the player in question was guilty of a direct head shot. For argument’s sake, we will use the most recent act resulting in a suspension, Pavel Kubina. So at this point Kubina would have received a 20 game suspension - STRIKE 1 - and the team would be responsible for a fine. Now, if Kubina gave another head shot he would earn STRIKE 2, serving an 82 game suspension (full season) as a result. At this point if Kubina returns to hockey after the 82 game suspension and delivers another head shot that would be STRIKE 3, a complete ban. That’s it. He’ll never play professional hockey again. Let’s see how fast Matt Cooke and Trevor Gillies for example, either learn their lesson or never lace up again. This plan of mine could be picked apart if common sense isn't the first thought from the people in charge. For example, will the referees be hesitant to call a penalty that will result in the player be removed from hockey? I say no. The referees will not be the determining factor, it will fall in the hands of the panel. They will be the bad, or in my eyes the good guys in the whole deal.

Zdeno Chara Hit Pt 2

(after the hit-Gomez talks with Chara)

      In part 1 of this post, I explained why I believe the Chara hit was dealt with accordingly. The decision made by the heads at the NHL just wasn't good enough for  the Montreal Canadians fans, who flooded the Metro Police lines with calls for an inquire on Chara. Another Group who have had very strong words for the NHL is major sponsor Air Canada stating "Its becoming extremely difficult to associate our brand with this sport".  Also going on to say "If no action is taken on the matters at hand, we (Air Canada) will be removing our brand from the game".

     The fans in all respect have the right to be infuriated by the hit to the home town player, but to flood the police lines is kind of ridiculous. 911 and other police lines are used for EMERGENCIES only. On the 7 year anniversary of the controversial Bertuzzi hit on Moore, the Chara hit is looking to follow down the same path  in history. As in, the police investigation in Colorado that follwed the Bertuzzi hit. I feel the only reason the police should opening an investigation is because someone filed a complaint of assault. The police force is obligated to investigate any complaint, that being said, the result of the investigation should follow suit with the Bertuzzi hit. The police will see the hit as Mike Murphy (a very intelligent representative of the NHL) did, a strong hit with no intent to injury. So hope you feel good wasting more tax payers money.

     National Hockey League Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations was left in a very tough spot being the one to hand down the "No suspension" to Chara. The league has been under a lot of pressure lately to make some sort of structured punishment for shots to the head. This issue will be debated until the number of head related injuries decrease. People taking personal attacks at Murphy need to give their heads a shake. Remember he played  and coached in the NHL and also holds the Title of  NHL Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations. He has a very good view of the game hence his job.

 

     How do we move forward? The 3 ideas I have come up with are the following; Bigger Ice; 3 strike rule; and Respect. Bigger ice is a format used in international hockey and seems to work well for the speed game. Having the extra ice surface allows players more space to showcase their talents.That's what the NHL was looking for taking the clutching and grabbing out of the game. 3 strike rule sits well with me. The way I feel this system could  work the best, is to start now. The NHLPA should vote on a player to be put in the 3 strike program. If after a game the league feels a hit was worth reviewing send it to the NHLPA and have a unanimous vote and deem if this player delivered a head shot. If the player in question was seen by his peers to have delivered a head shot, then strike one. With each strike the penalty should increase until a max of 3. After being viewed by your peers as a repeat offender you should never be allowed to play hockey again. That brings me to just plain old RESPECT. No one will ever know whats going on in someones head before an incident like this, so the "players" are responsibility for their actions prior to stepping on the ice. The game is bigger stronger and faster then ever and I see the least amount of respect for one-another. There has been just too many head shots to ignore the "respect" issue.

      The last issue I would like to cover, is Air Canada saying they will "withdraw their sponsorship, if no action is taken". I understand the NHL is a representation of Air Canada but to get involved that soon after the hit seems quite fishy. So I dug a little deeper and came across some interesting facts about Air Canada. The Head Office is located in Montreal Quebec. Could some "head" Air Canada representatives been present at the game? In turn having an almost immediate reaction from Air Canada. The potentially bias Air Canada, may have bitten off more than they can chew, threatening the NHL so fast. Rogers Entertainment has shown interest in the purchase of the ACC in Toronto and also the Maple Leafs. The NHL doesn't look as if they will be reversing the call so in the near future you might see a swing in sponsorship.