I've still got it stuck in my craw that DG said it was the plan"all along" to sit 77 and 22. I am truly afraid to know how far back that plan goes. I mean... What are we doing here?
I forget the retired ref... Maybe Fraser... Who somewhat bemoaned the progression of hitting in the NHL from a player he cited, Craig Ramsay, with a modest jar along the boards designed to free the puck, to Scott Stevens the headhunter.
Is there a working definition of "hit" that teams use? NYI are notorious for seemingly overcounting, but maybe they have a different standard.
In reality there are hundreds of points of physical contact during a game. OTOH you don't want to count only the open ice boomers.