Throwing your body-weight around is a solid way for scouts, coaches, and teams to notice you. If your opponent is aware that on one side of the ice a player could be waiting to knock you down, you’re going to generally try and avoid that area. When it comes to hitting, there are usually three rules: don’t hit the back of the sweater/numbers, don’t clip and no headshots.
In a Thursday night affair between the Dallas Stars and Nashville Predators, Martin Hanzal’s left-shoulder plastered the head of Yannick Weber.
Weber was skating through the neutral zone when he lost control of the puck. Weber reached for the puck to try and corral the biscuit before he was met with Hanzal’s shoulder. Hanzal received a five-minute penalty on the play but Dallas killed off the long advantage.
Weber stayed on the ice as he was attended by medical staff. He would eventually leave the playing surface under his own power but went straight to the locker room.
It was clear that the 6’6’’ Hanzal connected with the head, but Dallas argued that because Weber (who is 5’11”) reached out for the puck, he put himself in a vulnerable position.
Nashville would go on to win 4-1 and Weber did not return to the game.
What do you think? Was a 5-minute penalty necessary or should Hanzal have sat for 2-minutes?
