Blindside Hits: Are they legal or are they illegal?

It would be the first time in NHL history if the ref’s didn’t call penalties one sided. But the truth is that often penalties will be called against one team but later in the game the same penalty wont be called against the other team.

In many cases the ref just didn’t see it the second time around or perhaps he did see it but for some reason the penalty didn’t meet the same criteria as the first one did. Whatever the case may be this happens in the NHL all the time.

Recently a penalty more commonly known as a blindside hit has started to surface early on this season. Known to the NHL as an illegal check to the head is defined in the NHL rulebook as a lateral or blind side hit to an opponent where the head is targeted and/or the principle point of contact is not permitted.(http://www.nhl.com/ice/page.htm?id=27011)

A blindside hit is a serious penalty because it can cause a player to be seriously injured especially because many times they do not see the hit coming. This penalty also has some serious consequences ranging from a two minute minor and a four minute major to a ten minute game misconduct and even fines and suspension. The NHL is in the process of completely eliminating blindside hits and could go a step further by eliminating any hits to the head.

Niklas Kronwall a Red Wing defenseman is known for his big hits. A couple weeks ago in the October 23^rd game against the Anaheim Ducks, Kronwall made a hit to the head of Teemu Selanne that has caused some controversy. Kronwall was not penalized for his hit. The hit can be seen here in this video:

According to a Detroit Free Press article, even Coach Mike Babcock was pleased with Kronwall’s hit claiming that he always plays within the rules and yet is still a dangerous guy. Kronwall’s hit was ruled a clean hit but if the NHL was to instate a rule where it allows no hits to the head, that would be a different story. (http://www.freep.com/article/20101025/SPORTS05/101025024/1053/Babcock-likes-that-Kronwall-is-dangerous)

Compare this to a hit much like Kronwall’s but was actually ruled a blindside hit. In the game between Minnesota Wild and the Los Angeles Kings that took place on October 25, just two days after the Kronwall hit, Dustin Brown makes a blindside hit on Antti Miettien. The video can be seen here:

Instating a no hits to the head rule would be a smart thing for the NHL to do. It would prevent serious injuries and it wouldn't take away from the physical action in the game. It may take a serious head injury for the NHL to come to this conclusion, but perhaps they need Kronwall or Brown to knock some sense into them.