I did not say it was not a clean hit.
I do wonder how much longer it will be.
My Preceptor during residency was one of the Sabres Team Doctors and I did the physicals for NHL Combine for six years so I have spent a lot of time around NHL Medical Personnel. I have seen current players at the time going through concussion protocol and retired ones with presumed CTE, so I have a different perspective on certain types of hits. One of the biggest concerns facing the league is concerns about concussions and head injuries and the best way to prevent them. Checking particularly open ice hits has been a topic of debate and the concussion lawsuit against the league necessitated this Elliott Friedman and Jeff Marek even mentioned on one of their podcasts they could see a future for the league where checking is eliminated.
The league knows it cannot completely eliminate head injuries and concussions, but there is some growing traction that eliminating open ice checking would help reduce this.
And for every person that says they will stop watching the NHL if certain types of checking are eliminated, the NHL really isnβt marketing to them.
Their commercial and social media campaigns are highlighting youth, skill and scoring
Besides there is always the NOSHO.