NHL Player Safety explains why Ryan Reaves was suspended and Zach Whitecloud wasn't
The NHL Department of Player Safety is attempting to save face and explain why Ryan Reaves was suspended and Zach Whitecloud was not.
With Zach Whitecloud receiving zero punishment for his hit on Matthew Knies, fans have been very confused for quite some time.
As a result, the DoPS decided to come out with a video where they explained the hit to the head rule and what constitute an illegal body check.
NHL Department of Player Safety speaks out
1. The head must be the main point of contact.
2. Determine whether the head was avoidable.
«It does not matter what part of the player was impacted first.» the video stated. «What matters is what part of the player absorbed the majority of the impact of the hit.»
2. Determine whether the head was avoidable.
«It does not matter what part of the player was impacted first.» the video stated. «What matters is what part of the player absorbed the majority of the impact of the hit.»
Firstly, they looked at the Reaves hit and explained why he was assessed a suspension.
Ryan Reaves on Darnell Nurse
«On this hit by Reaves on Nurse, Reaves makes minimal contact with Nurse's body and the head absorbs the brunt of the impact. Note the way Nurse's head moves independently of his body and absorbing the force of this hit."
Subsequently, they did the same with Whitecloud's hit on Matthew Knies.
Zach Whitecloud hits Matthew Knies
«On the hit by Whitecloud, Whitecloud hits through the body of Knies,» the video stated. «While there is inarguably head contact here, we see Knies' entire body stopped in its tracks and driven backwards simultaneously with his head in a way that indicates the body absorbed the force of this check.»
The DoPS even complimented Whitecloud on the approach and his follow-through of the hit.
«Whitecloud takes a good angle of approach, stepping up directly through Knies' core. And while Whitecloud does come up off the ice due to the force of the contact of the hit, he does not elevate up excessively or unnecessarily to pick the head as he delivers the check. This means that the head contact on this play is considered unavoidable head contact on a play where the hitter is throwing an otherwise legal full body check.»
The league wants to make things easier to follow for the fans. However, some may not buy these explanations.
At the end of the day, the league just needs to be consistent with how it officiates the game.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 23 | 258 ANSWERS NHL Player Safety explains why Ryan Reaves was suspended and Zach Whitecloud wasn't Do you believe the NHL Department Player of Safety got this all wrong? | ||
| YES | 237 | 91.9 % |
| NO | 21 | 8.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
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