Ryan Reaves has done it again. It’s not the first time he’s laid a huge hit on an opponent, but this might actually be the hardest yet. The matchup between the Detroit Red Wings and the Minnesota Wild was just three minutes old when Red Wings’ defenseman Filip Hronek skated with the puck out of his own end.
Ryan Reaves saw the opportunity, and he didn’t let it slip.
The hit was bone-crushing. Destroying. But according to the officials, clean. Hronek was bloodied and had trouble getting up for moments. He needed help from teammates to get to the bench, and he didn’t return to the game. And no wonder. The hit was the hardest in the NHL this year, and if we’re guessing, Hronek will be out for some time.
Ryan Reaves was not penalized on the play, and later in the game, he delivered yet another great hit, followed by a fight with Ben Chiarot, who Reaves, without any trouble, dropped.
Probably every hockey fan in the world has seen Reaves’ hit by now, with how good it was in mind. But now, an alternate angle, filmed on ice-level, has been published on social media. And we have just one for it: Wow.
It’s so different to see hits from an ice-level view; this hit is no exception. The speed with which Reaves hits is just incredible, and you can basically see Hronek’s soul leave his body when Reaves crushes him.
On social media, opinions have been divided on whether Reaves should’ve been penalized. Many believe it was the perfect hit, but Jeff Veillette, NHL writer, disagrees.
”Floored by how many “perfect clean hit” replies are in here already. I know some people are desperate to protect a prior era of hockey but Reaves drives straight through Hronek’s face here, if you can’t admit that this isn’t safe then you’re watching for blood lust, not the game,” he wrote on Twitter.
”And before I get the “you just want all contact out of hockey” replies, I love hitting in hockey, I just think we should probably try to do it without scrambling each other’s brains.”
But many still believe the hit was clean.
”Okay but 1. He doesn’t take a stride 2. He doesn’t jump and 3. There’s no intent to injure. This is a hockey play,” one said.
”Any head contact is due to reaves being bigger and positioning. Skating through the middle of the ice looking sideways, it’s his own fault,” another added.
