NHL Hockey: League clarifies illegal check to head rule

Original NHL logo, used until 2005. A version of the logo features it in the shape of a hockey puck. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

According to the Elliotte Friedman of CBC's Hockey Night in Canada, the NHL has changed their wording of Rule 48. It's nice to see the rule get clarified and cleaned up a bit.

Now Rule 48.1 declares an illegal check to the head as "a hit resulting in contact with an opponent's head where the head was the main point of contact and such contact to the head was avoidable."

You're going to ask the obvious follow-up. How do you determine if the hit is avoidable? There are three circumstances to be considered:

First, whether the player attempted to hit squarely through the opponent's body and the head was not "picked" as a result of poor timing, poor angle of approach or unnecessary extension of the body upward or outward.

Second, whether the opponent put himself in a vulnerable position by assuming a posture that made head contact on an otherwise full body check unavoidable.

Third, whether the opponent materially changed the position of his body or head immediately prior to or simultaneously with the hit in a way that significantly contributed to the head contact.

Obviously, we need game action to see how this change affects things. But in theory, it makes a lot of sense. By eliminating "targeted" and adding "avoidable," it puts added onus on the hitter to avoid recklessness. Ultimately, that's what you want.

Related articles

• Report: NHL to reword head-shot rule (prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com)
• Sidney Crosby Thinks Zdeno Chara's Punch 'Crossed the Line,' Saw It as Attempt to Shut Him Down (nesn.com)

Zac Rinaldo hit on Dainius Zubrus

For what ever reason the Philadelphia Flyers were going after  Dainius Zubrus in this series and last night Flyers littled used forward Zach Rinaldo caught Zubras with this hit in the Flyers end of the ice, in my opinion this was a questionable and a border line hit, some might say that it was dirty.

Also, what the heck was Max Talbot doing in this video?

Personally, I seen worse hits that were dirtier in this years Stanley Cup Playoffs - but that doesn't make this hit any better. The Flyers are out of the playoffs, so I don't expect anything to come from this hit, Zubras also returned to the game.

Former NHL Official Kerry Fraser had to say this on the Rinaldo hit.

A bit of a pattern develops here when Zac Rinaldo took out Dainius Zubrus, another payback recipient, with a low bridge hip check (video link) just above the knees. While kneeing was initially reported on the call, interference appears on the official score sheet as Pierre Maguire of NBC correctly pointed out at the time. This was a needless and dirty play.  The puck was in the opposite corner of the rink as Zubrus cut around the net and was low bridged by Rinaldo. I can appreciate the fact that the refs would not want to put the game on the line by assessing a five-minute major penalty for clipping even though Zubrus appeared shaken up on the play and was attended to.