Player Accountability

The recent headhunting incident by Colby Armstrong on Saku Koivu has spurred me on to write about one of my greatest pet peeves in the sport.

Accountibilty or the lack thererof.

In the clutching and grabbing days of the NHL one of the greatest concerns was the inappropraite use of the stick. Vicious slashes and high sticks became the norm while the NHL's governing committee simply stood by and took notes. The 'cheap shots' were handed out more often than not by players that would have difficulty fighting a drunk midget. The days of the great enforcers blew by only to be replaced by the days of the super pest. When Gary Bettman lowered the enforcer rule upon the league he bit off a chunk he is still having difficulty chewing (albeit with his mouth wide open). Bettman, while having some good business sense levied a game changing rule in the infancy of his term, when the game was still foreign to him. The enforcer rule not only penalizes a goon for running around the ice (which I have no qwams with), but more importantly renders a team impotent to protect their star players. In a league where many 'experts' claim the talent is watered down, why should teams have their hands tied when trying to protect their multi million dollar investments?

If the question is safety, then why are so many star players suffering season/career threating injuries on plays that can be considered 'dirty'. Darcy Tucker is going to be much less willing to administer a questionable hit if he knows he will be held accountable by a member of the opposition. Fans would rather see a 'tough guy' take out a 'cheap shot artist' rather than watch a star player get helped off the ice. As Gary Bettman is finding out you cannot have it both ways, either allow teams to defend for themselves or be forced to defend the criticism being hurled from the fans.

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