by: CoachK, AllHabs.Net
SAINT-LAZARE, QC — After watching tonight’s game, the blogger world is up in arms. It’s great news that Max Pacioretty is awake and has feeling in his extremities. One can only imagine what Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara was thinking. Was it revenge? We can never know. It certainly looks that way, considering the events that led to this gruesome hit.
The players in this league range in size and shape. You have players like Martin St. Louis, who is 5 feet 7 inches (according to the league), and the neanderthal named Zdeno Chara, who is excess of 6 feet 9 inches. There are guys than weigh under 180 pounds, others in excess of 250 pounds. When you start playing the game of hockey as a youngster, it’s more or less a level playing field, as far as these factors are concerned. But when you hit the pro ranks, it’s a crap shoot.
But think about it. If Chara hits someone like Brian Gionta like he hit Max Pacioretty tonight, he would be dead. Pure and simple. So what can the NHL do to fix the problem over super-sized athletes? Well, other physical sports, like Mixed Martial Arts and Boxing, have weight classifications. They are in place to avoid unfair advantages in size, weigh and reach by the athletes that are competing. Why can’t the NHL?
Coming out of the lockout, the league has always maintained that they want to be a sport built on speed and skill. If that’s the case, then why are these super-human goofs still allowed to play the game? Because they have the hardest shot? Because they have the longest reach?
While players like former NHLer Kjell Samuelsson and current Habs defenseman Hal Gill are much bigger than most of the players they match up against, it is a choice they made a long time ago. Their choice to play a physical, but responsible style is a testament to their understanding of their height advantage, and the possible implications of an over-physical style of play.
With concussion issues running rampant in the league, height-restrictions would be the first step in protecting their smaller, skilled players. We are not talking about much. Perhaps a maximum height of 6 feet 5 inches would help reduce the head shots. By the same token, there should be a minimum height restriction of 5 feet 9 inches. That’s a disparity of 8 inches. While the new head-shot rule is a step in the right direction, the height-restriction would be another way to protect our skilled athletes. It may sound unfair to more diminiative players, but their health is more important than anything else.
Photo source: Getty Images