NFL Aggressively Tackles Hits to the Head, NHL Should Follow

Unlike the National Hockey League (NHL), the National Football League (NFL) took one giant leap tackling the issue of hits to the head (the controversy that has brewed is a completely different topic one I most likely will discuss). Meanwhile, the NHL, after contemplations for five years, has seen very little progress in protecting players, especially hits to the heads.

The baby steps taken by the NHL started with a round table discussion leading to the current $2,500 fine players receive with a possibility for a suspension. Considering all players make more than $500,000 US per year and there are 82 games in a season, these fines and suspensions are a drop in the bucket. It will not serve as a deterrent and is nothing more than a public relations strategy aimed to please the media and the fans after devastating hits to Savard and Booth plagued the image of the NHL last season. Does the NHL take its fans as dummies?

Meanwhile, the NFL decided two days ago that fines would be handed out to hits to the head, or helmet-to-helmet hits, which might actually make an impression. Meriweather (New England Patriots), Robinson (Atlanta Falcons), and Harrison (Pittsburgh Steelers) all received fines of $50,000 to $75,000 for the latter.

Both leagues are starting to crack down on dangerous hits because of the potentially life-threatening and most certainly life-altering hits that are taking out men from their careers. Take for example Marc Savard (Boston Bruins) who was hit last season and has not played an NHL game since. And just last weekend, a college football player, Eric LeGrand, was paralyzed from the neck down after his helmet went head first into a kick returner's body (see video). On a side note, thoughts and prayers to the LeGrand family and hopes he will one day walk again.

The NHL's lack of response to this situation, a situation that has been on the forefront of hockey for years now, has left many fans and commentators wondering if their recent fines and suspensions will really crackdown on hits to the head. I think not. It's no secret that players of the NHL want hits to the head removed, including Doan and Gilbert who were suspended and fined respectively, yet players continue to do so. Yes, the sport is very fast. Yes, players are acting instinctively. Yes, big hits are often praised. Yes, players are responsible for their positioning. But those are not excuses for blind side hits to the head and other dangerous hits.

I've heard the mantra that a player in a vulnerable position should also be blamed, but is this really fair? A player in a vulnerable position, whether it be in the NHL or NFL, is in that position for a reason. He is trying to make a play to create offense or catch an errant ball. A massive hit by a 250 pound player is not required. A person whose center of gravity is elevated and balance is unstable needs barely a tap to knock them over. And an average hit to the torso would do enough to prevent the play from going forward.

Major injuries that ended Lindros's career a decade ago is not a joke anymore. Players are now forever changed on and off the ice. Significant research and better information about brain injuries are now available and all sports, and every job for that matter, should take better control of these situations. If the NHL really wants to adress hits to the head, let's not charge players with fines even I could afford. Let's hit them with massive fines like the NFL. It won't take long before a star player like Crosby or Ovechkin takes an illegal hit and gets removed from the game altogether. That won't be good for the NHL's marketability, that won't be good for anyone really.