As the NHL All-Star Game creeps ever closer, one subject seems foremost in the minds of NHL fans, as well as in the minds of writers, radio personalities, cable sports stations, and anyone else who gives professional hockey even a cursory glance.
Whither Sidney Crosby?
Three weeks ago as the Pittsburgh Penguins faced off against the Washington Capitals, and Sid the Kid took a turn with his head down (a pertinent detail in this incident), he collided with Caps center David Steckel, bouncing his head off of Steckel's right shoulder. And Steckel, predictably, has been under heavy fire since then.
"The reaction, I didn't think it was going to be this big of a deal, but it is," said Steckel, who apparently hasn't even heard of Sidney Crosby before this collision. Because if he had, he would know for certain that any sort of hit on the golden hockey idol that is Crosby has real potential to be dissected, over-analyzed on video playback approximately 30 times an hour, and criticized (or defended) ad nauseum while the rest of us pray for a commercial. Even the Geico lizard can mean sweet relief, a momentary respite from the overt hero worship and blatant butt-kissing directed toward Crosby.
There are a couple of issues at the heart of this particular incident. First of all, the attitude towards Steckel concerning the hit has been just a little bit short of venomous. The opinion of most NHL fans seems to be that Steckel was headhunting, out for blood, intent on shattering the skull of arguably the best player in the league. But those who saw the replay (and if you own a TV and don't live in a freaking cave, chances are you have) might beg to differ. Steckel, for his part (of course) is part of the "no way that was intentional" camp.
"Contrary to popular belief, I feel like it was incidental. I didn't see him. I didn't look. That's a tough instance. To look back now and be like, 'Well, I'm going to get suspended for a head hit' when I had no idea."
Indeed, neither he nor Crosby had any idea as to what was about to occur the moment prior to contact. Crosby had his head down and to the right; Steckel was pursuing the puck, skating into the play. It didn't even seem that Steckel was moving to check Crosby; in fact, it happened so fast that neither player could have known what was going to happen. At least, that's how it looked. If Steckel honestly had meant to take Crosby's head off, he certainly made it look accidental.
Also factoring into this incident is the God-awful timing of it, in general. Every NHL administrative type office lackey, all the way up to Commissioner Gary Bettman himself, felt the earth beneath them shake when Crosby got his bell rung. Why, you may ask? Because not only did Crosby suffer a concussion from the hit, he's now said he will not play in the upcoming All-Star Game in Raleigh, NC. His refusal to play, which is being seen as his making a statement directed toward Bettman and Co. regarding the enforcement (or lack thereof) of rule 48 (more on that in a moment), is likely a moot point as he is still suffering from post-concussion symptoms and is therefore physically unable to bear the rigors of the game. But his point is well-made.
Rule 48, concerning "lateral or blind-side hits" where "the (player's) head is targeted and/or is the principle point of contact" is being seen as the predecessor to a general and all-encompassing ban on hits to the head, a ban which would be next to impossible to enforce adequately. If the NHL sees no difference in "intentional" and "incidental," a ban would certainly limit the number of head injuries each season, but would fill the suspension list to overflowing with players who, like Steckel, were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The overall issue at the heart of this matter is simply this: if the injured party were anyone besides Sidney Crosby, we likely would have never heard a second thought on the hit, much less a third or fourth or forty-fourth. Those in positions of power know that Crosby on the ice puts a lot of butts in the seats, and the loss of Crosby for the biggest game outside of Lord Stanley's little soiree is like "Star Wars" without Luke Skywalker.
When you're referred to as the best player since Wayne freakin' Gretzky, people tend to notice you. And when said player decides to use a serious on-ice injury, in addition to the decidedly light handling of the incident (read: disregarded altogether), to boycott the All-Star Game, league officials are forced to address the matter. But while rule 48's time has certainly come, the likelihood that it will be strictly enforced is rather low; determining which hits are intentional and which are incidental is never going to be a perfect science, and until it is, Crosby and other players in similar situations are going to have to look elsewhere for justice. Suspensions and fines aside, those matters have always been settled on the ice. That's justice in the NHL.
Justice like a well-timed blind-side hit to your unsuspecting opponent's skull. Unintentionally, of course.
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