Quote Originally Posted by RICHARD View Post
SO far this year I have seen two of the side panels get broken. I think one was at a Ducks games the other was at the Kings game this week.
Yep, hitting is part of the game and people should have their heads up display on. Weight could have been looking a little forward to see that Bettman is going to do when he gets the video of the hit.

When some takes a hit or delivers a hit like that it is part of the game, but you can line someone up and take them out of the play, not their skates.

When you have players over 6 foot and 200-210 lbs on the ice playing against forwards who are giving up a few pounds and inches, it's just a matter of time before another player gets really hurt and I mean career ending hurt.

Hitting is part of the game but the giver has to take responsibility for the hits, too.

I hear what you are saying... but that doesn't really apply to this case

Doug Weight is 5'11" 196 and Brandon Sutter is 6'3" 183

the problem here was lack of experience. You NEVER NEVER NEVER put your head down coming through the neutral zone let alone bend over to poke at the puck. dough Weight was doing his job... There is no possible way he could have stopped the hit when Sutter bent over. Gary Bettman better not hand down ANY suspension or anything else... that was a CLEAN hit plain and simple. You can't start suspending guys for clean hits because someone got his bell rung.

Career ending injuries are usually the result of cheap hits. Off the top of my head I can't think of any player who has had his career ended by a plain old check.

I believe that hits from behind should be zero tolerance. if you are called for boarding... the league hands down a suspension... NO MATTER WHAT. that's what I think needs to happen. Instead they analyze each hit from behind on a case by case basis and most of the time there is no suspension. I think that's wrong. THAT is how guys get hurt. I think something like that needs to be consistent... YOu hit from behind... you get suspended PERIOD. THAT is what they need to start cracking down on.