It's a good first step in the right direction. I would actually like to see the NHL go to the no touch icing rules like the Olympics and college hockey. Everytime I see two players reach for the puck I think back to the Kurtis Foster incident during the 200
TORONTO — A hybrid icing rule aimed at reducing dangerous collisions received some extra attention at the NHL's research and development camp.
Organizers decided to extend the rule to Wednesday's second session because they felt they hadn't seen enough of it in the first one. The proposed change gives linesmen the ability to make a ruling on whether a play will be called an icing based on which player reaches the faceoff dot first.
It's designed to eliminate violent crashes into the end boards that have resulted from players chasing the puck. A number of NHLers have been injured in that manner — including former Minnesota Wild defenceman Kurtis Foster, who missed most of the 2008-09 season after breaking his leg while racing back to touch the puck for an icing.
Ken Hitchcock, who is coaching one of the teams at the development camp, liked what he saw from the hybrid icing rule.
“It's a competitive and safe way of playing,” said Hitchcock. “You would almost completely eliminate those big injuries that come and yet you're still creating the competition for (the puck). ... For me, it's a real good idea.
