Will Ryan Reaves face a suspension for his check on Filip Hronek? NHL Department of Player Safety announces their decision
Three minutes into last night's game between the Detroit Red Wings and Minnesota Wild, Ryan Reaves made a dramatic impact. As Red Wing's defenseman Filip Hronek attempted to carry the puck out of the Wing's zone, he forgot Reaves was on the ice. Hronek for some reason begins to look to his left while exiting in the zone, only to be run over by Reaves.
This hit immediately divided hockey fans.
Those who love hitting felt like this was a perfect hit and a matter of a player being caught with his head down at a terrible time. While those who want hitting removed from the game declared this a head shot. The referees in the arena didn't assess a penalty on the play to Reaves, but that doesn't mean that the NHL Department of Player Safety would feel the same.
Today, the NHL DoPS confirmed what many already knew. This was a perfectly placed hockey hit and any contact to the head was secondary after the body was the principal point of contact. This is clearly the right decision and a rare win for NHL Player Safety. There is no reason to try and remove hits like this from the game, especially in cases where a player like Hronek puts himself in a vulnerable position.
Under rule 48.1, NHL considers this unavoidable head contact. Straight north-south hit, Reaves checked thru body. No elevation, no picking head, arms tucked at his side. Hronek's posture and looking behind him led to the unavoidable head contact in league's view
So thanks to George Parros, we can continue to celebrate big hits in the NHL.
| POLL | ||
Did this hit deserve supplemental discipline? | ||
| No, it was perfect | 74 | 70.5 % |
| Yes, but just a fine | 10 | 9.5 % |
| Yes, it deserved a suspension | 21 | 20 % |
| List of polls | ||
