There has been lot of talk about headshots in hockey of late (myself included). Both players and coaches have been penalized or criticized for their part in the delivery of headshots.
But whose responsibility is it? The player delivering the hit? The coach teaching the tactics of the game? Both?
Players regularly say they don't have enough time in that split second to change course or hold up when going in for a hit that happens to be aimed at a head. Coaches often say players do have time to make an evasive manoeuvre or to not drill someone's head through the glass.
Head coach of the Northeast Panthers, Mike Pasichnuk, believes players do have some control over the placement and severity of their hits.
“As much as they want to say, ‘I couldn't control it,' you can control it,” said Pasichnuk.
Bonnyville Pontiacs forward Austen Hebert would be one to disagree, as would a couple of his teammates.
Though Hebert points out that his coach Chad Mercier has never sent guys out to do a headshot or intentionally hurt someone, Mercier does encourage hard tough play, which can include a lot of legal hits.
“No you don't have time,” said Hebert in response to whether a player can avoid making a dangerous hit. “You're really just trying to finish your hit. And sometimes (your opponent) will be playing the puck awkwardly and (a headshot) just happens.”
“Obviously if it happens you feel bad,” he added.
But both would agree the intensity and speed of the game can lead to some devastating collisions. For Pasichnuk, one of many head coaches who fervently discourage headshots, this is why some of the responsibility has to be on the players.
“The game can become intense, emotions do run high. As much as coaches are responsible for everything the team does, we don't get to put the skates on. And the onus a lot of times has to fall on the players.”
Perhaps then it is more a question of players knowing exactly what is right and wrong.
The rules in any league regarding headshots are either non-existent or in their infancy and will take a period of time to sink in. A few years ago a campaign to decrease hitting from behind took centre stage in Canadian hockey, and now people understand the consequences and players do their best to avoid making that dangerous hit.
“It's like the checking from behind,” said Pasichnuk. “They clamped down on that pretty hard. Does it still happen? Absolutely. But they've got a pretty good handle on it.”
Maybe, following a few seasons under the new rules, players will slowly evolve away from making a hit that results in a penalty. This may happen, not because players have suddenly found or admitted to having the ability to make that split second decision to change course, but rather because good players will naturally play the game by the rules, as getting penalties only hinders a team's success. And with coaches continuing to snub the headshot and players that do it, both sides can make real progress towards eliminating headshots altogether.
Neither the coaches, nor the players should be able to shrug off responsibility when it comes to headshots, but when the game is missing that devastating hit, both sides should get credit, where credit is deserved.
