Going Green? Gone Home....

Hey fellow readers. Today I have somewhat of a rant to go on and have decided to use the Mike Green incident from last week as my jumping point. The video is below for those of you who are unaware of the situation, so please take a quick look if need be.

Last week, Mike Green of the Washington Capitals, was suspended 3 games by the NHL's department of Player Safety. Green laid what was deemed to be an illegal hit to the head on Tampa Bay's Brett Connolly. Connolly was moving behind the net and had already been entangled with Dmitry Orlov when Green skated in to deliver a clear and blatant blow to the head of the Tampa Bay forward.

Watching this on TV as it happened really got me thinking. Why do players feel it necessary to take that 'enforcer' role to a whole other level? Why do players need to assert their dominance by hitting a player and 'laying them out'? Yes, im all for a physical game, but where is the line drawn? Does it even exist?

Players these days feel the need to reassure their teammates and fans that they can play a physical game. This is often done by cruising for big hits, fighting, and generally being a 'badass' on the ice. When this image is placed upon a player, it generally sticks. The focus then moves from gaining this image, to maintaining this image. The players merit is then judged on this image and any deviation from it results in negativity and general disapproval. In my opinion, this is then where the 'Line' of whats acceptable behaviour becomes faded or non existent.

As a result of Greens hit, he was suspended for 3 games, and as a result will lose more than $85,000+ in lost salary. All for this stupid hit. Orlov had Connolly out of the play and there was no need for Green to make the hit. Grabbing the loose puck in the corner was a viable option, and perhaps one that may have helped the team out more, however as I stated before, the mentality of maintaining his enforcer and aggressive image took over. Pointless and stupid.

So, my question and argument is this people: Why do NHL players feel the need to go out of their way to make big hits and why does that get viewed as positive behaviour? I know teams want their players to play aggressively, but when it comes to injuring players as a result, what the point? Its long been the hockey mentality that putting your body on the line for the team is something to be coveted, but why does injuring another player garner such respect from teammates and fans alike?

As I see it now, hockey is moving into the grey area that usually accompanies change. This is that area where everyone is just waiting around for something to happen and then reacting to it with dramatic or subsequently large change. Yes the NHL is moving towards suspending players for violations and blatant attempts to injure other players, but its only a matter of time before something 'big' happens that really shocks the league and has them reviewing all their policies and protocol with scrutinious resolve. Whether it be a serious and 'career-ending' injury or worse, a death, as a result of a hit, I feel that the NHL is just simply providing a 'band-aid' solution to these problems by handing out 3+ game suspensions to violators to show that they are concerned. I hate to say it, but that's just how I feel.

As always, feel free to leave any thoughts or comments below, and let me know what you guys are thinking. Im always open for a good debate and look forward to hearing reader response. Thanks for reading!

Here's Brendan Shanahan's suspension explanation video for everyone to watch :