I don't like to question my fellow hockey scribes, but I've seen this written enough now to respond respectfully.



It's been written in more than one publication-The Hockey News being
the most prominent-that the NHL's new division-based schedule goes
against its theory of trying to enforce a new wide-open, high octane
product.



The thinking seems to be that if you play your division rivals eight
times-as is planned this season-by the sixth, seventh and eighth
meetings the games will resort 60 minutes of tug-o-war.



I'm not sure I follow the line of reasoning in that thought, especially
when you consider that every game for the last couple years-division or
not-has been a series of taffy pulls.



What I do expect to see--by the third of three straight games at the
end of October between the Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings for
example-is a lot of hitting and probably more than one fight. That's
not a bad thing and I don't think it goes against what the league is
trying to accomplish.



I think we need to clarify what the new "zero-tolerance" is trying to
accomplish. What the league wants to rid itself of is a player holding
up another in the neutral zone away from the puck. It wants to prevent
a defenseman from pinning an offensive player up against the glass
after the puck has been moved. It wants to stop the tugging from behind
with the stick, or any use of the stick that doesn't include a puck
being moved.



That doesn't mean a player can't hit another player-as long as he has
the puck. I think a perfect example of what the league is looking for
was on display last Sunday at the United Center when the Hawks faced
the Minnesota Wild. The game had an excellent flow to it and still
featured good, physical play.



Over and over I've been hearing "You can't hit anyone anymore!"



You can, you just can't do it with your stick. There is no place in the
sport for the whack to forearms and wrists that have become too
prevalent the last couple years and cause far more injuries than
defensemen going back to touch-up an icing.



The problem the last decade is players using their sticks as weapons
instead of skating-by either hooking a player toward him to whacking
him in the back instead of moving in front of him.



Hawks general manager Dale Tallon said the other day that when he
watches video of games from the 1960's one thing he notices is all the
players have their sticks on the ice. Certainly there was hitting in
the 1960's and obstruction never seemed to be an issue-maybe because
coaches back then realized the object of the game was to score goals
and not just prevent them.



After watching two games so far this preseason, I'm fully supportive of
what the NHL wants to do and I hope they stick to their guns for the
entire season. The people who are complaining about all the penalties
in September are the same people who will be wondering why the
obstruction isn't called in December.



This is what the preseason is for. If players can't adjust by Oct. 5,
then they need to find another league to play
in.



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