It came in to effect four months ago, but we have yet to see it in action. It promises to increase player awareness and, more importantly, safety, while returning power to the referees.
You wouldn’t really expect to hear those words said, not about professional players or officials. After all, these guys are the pros, they’re the best. Why wouldn’t the best players in the world, the most talented of the on-ice competitors, be aware of their surroundings?
And how could referees at the highest level lack power? Sure, they’re degraded at every opportunity for either “putting the whistle away” or “making the game about them," but neither of those buzz phrases ever gives off the idea that they don’t, or allowed the game to escalate to a point where they didn't, have power.
That was before David Booth was slow to get up or Marc Savard had his career derailed by another hit to the head, or Paul Kariya, Daniel Alfredsson, and countless others were “head-hunted," having the fact that they don’t have eyes in the back of their heads exploited by their opponents.
After a scary emergence ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Bryan Thiel
Takin’ a T/O With BT: How Headshots Change for the NHL in the 2010-11 Season
September 15th, 2010 by Bryan Thiel Leave a reply »
Advertisement