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Several fans of the Philadelphia Flyers and Washington Capitals dropped me private messages to ask my opinion on the Pierre-Edouard Bellemare hit on Dmitry Orlov in Game 3 of the series between the Flyers and Capitals. Bellemare got a one-game suspension.
Was it enough? Was it too much? Doesn't Orlov share a bit of blame for putting himself in a vulnerable position? Shouldn't Tom Wilson, with more a reputation as a reckless hitter, have been suspended for a Game One boarding incident?
Honestly, I feel like "bad hits" are the second most-addressed topic on my blogs. Rather than delving into the particulars in this case -- complete with the requisite "he's not that kind of player" defense from the Philadelphia coach (Dave Hakstol) that's the pat defense of all coaches, the fact that one non-suspension doesn't make the other one unjust and that Wilson likely has not had his last slap-the-wrist hearing with the D.O.P.S. even if he avoided one this time -- I want to talk about the bigger picture here.
Around the entire hockey world, players no longer know or care how to give or receive hits.
Back when I was playing hockey in the Cretaceous period with the other skating dinosaurs and limestone bleachers for stands, we had a common saying about body checks: Hit to hurt, not to injure. The purpose of body checking was to separate the puck carrier from the puck if at all possible and to create a wear-down effect over the course of a game or a playoff series. It was not to separate a guy from his head or wreck his knee.
In past blogs, I have talked about the way that hockey equipment is a lethal weapon. I've talked about the way players are coddled and taught by parents, agents and coaches that the rule book applies to everyone but themselves and their team. I've discussed how I feel the NHL has dropped the ball -- with a filter-down effect to other leagues -- in truly holding players and their coaches accountable for their actions.
One thing I had yet to discuss, however, is a fundamental problem that exists in how the game is taught, coached and legislated at the grass roots of the game. We all want to see the game be as safe as possible for the participants. However, in the name of supposed safety, we have actually made the game more dangerous by not teaching our young players how to give and receive proper bodychecks once the physical element comes into play.
Things that used to be common knowledge about receiving (get up against the boards, don't turn and put yourself in a vulnerable position, keep your head up, etc.) and giving (don't run way out of position, tuck your arm in, don't hit from behind, don't leave your feet, don't accelerate/charge, etc) are hopelessly lost on even a lot of professional players. Why? Because they were never taught properly.
Nowadays, many players don't even know to react to clean hits if they happen to be in open ice. The instant reaction is to drop the gloves, regardless of time, place and score. In the meantime, how many players seem truly baffled as to why they are subjected to supplementary disciplinary for blatant head shots, charges boarding and other infractions. Almost always, their coaches back them to the hilt rather than holding them responsible.
This is flat out bad coaching, and I think we have done the game a disservice. We put "stop signs" on kids' backs in lieu of actual teaching how and when to check and, just as important, when NOT to (such as when you are staring at the numbers). As a result, we have players who go through the entire developmental phase of their careers right up even into pro hockey who have a novice's understanding of the fundamentals of the physical game.
Even the coaches' themselves often seem to have a fuzzy-at-best understanding that "finishing your check" is not a catch-all excuse for dangerous, predatory hits. Likewise, there is not an automatic need to suspend every time a player gets the worse end of a heavy hit.
I'm NOT saying we should have our youngest players engaging in physical play before they are ready for it. What I am saying is that, along with other skills, the fundamentals of body checking need to be instructed with emphasis and repetition.
Until such a time that players come up through the game with an understanding -- even a subconscious one learned by rote -- of how to body check and how to receive a body check, all of the other steps we try to take to make the game safer will be of limited effectiveness. The stop-signs-to-joke-fines "education" players receive in lieu of actual teaching just isn't working. We need more than that and the responsibility does not start and end with the rule book and blaming the officials on the ice.
I'm sure that's going to ruffle some feathers but so be it.
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Paul Stewart holds the distinction of being the first U.S.-born citizen to make it to the NHL as both a player and referee. On March 15, 2003, he became the first American-born referee to officiate in 1,000 NHL games.
Today, Stewart serves as director of hockey officiating for the ECAC.
The longtime referee heads Officiating by Stewart, a consulting, training and evaluation service for officials. Stewart also maintains a busy schedule as a public speaker, fund raiser and master-of-ceremonies for a host of private, corporate and public events. As a non-hockey venture, he is the owner of Lest We Forget.
Blogger •Former NHL Referee • 
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