A Thought on the Minnesota Rule Changes

In fallout to the injuries suffered by Jack Jablonski, the MSHSL (the league governing the game where the incident occurred) made several rule changes - minors have become mandatory majors for boarding, checking from behind, and head contact.  Along with the changes, several parties involved with the change have called out USA Hockey and suggested the changes should be implemented on a national level.

Note: After more research than I'd honestly intended to put into an off-the-cuff thoughts post, I still am unable to determine whether MSHSL hockey games are run via the USA Hockey rulebook or have a completely separate set of legislation (or USA Hockey + Supplement, which is how many leagues handle these things).  Given the enforcement standards cited in news articles relating to the rule change, the implication is that they operate independently of USA Hockey while many of their players maintain dual-affiliation.  Under USA Hockey's current rulebook, Checking from Behind is EITHER a 2 & 10 (minor plus misconduct) or a 5 & Game (major + game misconduct).  A Match Penalty can also be assessed.  It is not "only" a 2 & 10.

The intention behind the changes is good, and it's exactly the kind of reactionary legislation one might expect in the current situation.  "Someone got hurt because we left this on the table as an optional minor, or we had a gap in our rules, so let's make it clear to coaches and players that the act isn't worth the risk.  If we change the cost/benefit ratio, players will stop doing it."

The problem is that it's not going to work, at least not the way it's intended to, and those making noises in USA Hockey's direction seem to be missing the point that the USA Hockey system is designed to allow referees discretionary authority while still building in the stronger punishments.

I Feel Like We've Had This Discussion Before...

One of the biggest problems I run into with self-motivated online publication is juggling a few too many balls, because the minute that something I owe someone else comes due, my own for-fun projects go out the window.  While RTC isn't exactly for fun, it's also not published on a deadline for the people who provide my credentials (or related to my paycheck), so it drops down the list like a stone.

I apologize for that - not for the priority allocation, but for having been naive enough to try to set timetables when I was still unsure how many things I was juggling in my life.  That's calmed down, and I know what the next year and change is likely to bring, so I'm in a much better place to address it now.

Monthly Link Dump: Up & At 'Em in Hershey

For the record, home renovation kills way more of your life than you ever think it will.  I cannot put into words how happy I am to have a working washroom again.

In more interesting news, I just concluded my first month of minors coverage with Capitals Outsider.  For geographical reasons, that means I'm spending quite a bit of time up in Hershey (and following the Stingrays at a distance).

Obligatory Monthly Link-dump:

Getting Into the Spirit

Happy Hockey Season, Folks!  It's been (almost exactly) a month since my last post over here.

It's a really good thing that a solid portion of the content over here to date is just me thinking aloud and/or posting data for my own edification, or I might worry about my pageviews.  That will be changing a bit with this fall, regular posts and less abstract rambling, but I'll save the off-the-wall flash for Caps Outsider.

The Bear with the Ax (Tragedy in the Golden Ring)

One year and two weeks ago, I was in Yaroslavl.

It's a beautiful place, one of the golden ring cities outside of Mockba, and almost exactly a year ago they celebrated their 1000th anniversary as a city.

Today their KHL team, локомотив, was involved in a horrifying plane crash.  43 confirmed dead, 2 in critical-not-likely-to-survive condition.  The team included notable players from a half-dozen countries, many well-known from their days with the NHL.  Their coach was a former Assistant Coach to the Red Wings.  I'm not being deliberately coy of the identities of those involved, but there are already plenty of lists of the dead circulating.  There's no point in my echoing them.

For those on the outside, it's hard to describe the way that hockey really *is* a small and tightly knit community.  There are roughly 500,000 players registered above the 49th parallel & another 500K below.  Players often start at the age of 3-4, traveling more as skill levels increase and making friends along the way.  Some players cross oceans to attend summer training programs or join Junior teams that will give them the best chances at furthering a career.  Again, friends are made.

Professional players are consistently involved in local communities, to the point where the NHL uses philanthropy as a marketing slogan ("The Biggest Assist is Off the Ice").  Captains and coaches are well known faces and influences, and children involved in the hockey community draw their heroes from the sport have a wide variety of options.  An encounter with a player - especially a favored player - is a brush with greatness, and those are memories that don't fade.  It's hard to forget someone you idolized at five or ten or even fifteen.  If you live in an NHL or AHL or ECHL town, coaches and general managers and front office staff play at your local rinks and their children play at your local rinks.

The point I'm getting at here, rather roundabout as the journey may be, is that all of us in the community are touched by today's events.  We cheer for players who lost friends and former teammates.  We ourselves lost role models and national symbols.  If you're in the hockey community, there was a friend-of-a-friend on that plane.

This is why the tragedy strikes so hard, I think.  Because when everybody knows everybody, there are no strangers.

The Burden of Protection - Head Trauma from the Far Side

First, the prerequisite link:  New post over at Capitals Outsider today - The Lesser-Known Caps in the System [2/2].

Today's post was originally going to be on the topic of the NHL's summer R&D camp, but that's been pushed back a few days.  Instead, since a large portion of the hockey community is debating how soon is too soon to use Wade Belak's death as the launching point for a Fighting Discussion, I'll be touching on the last great source of public outcry: Head Trauma.  And because this blog looks at hockey with an emphasis on the officials involved, I'll be focusing on the role of on-ice officials in the rule changes that have been rolled out over the last year.

A Link Dump (in Slightly Snazzier Form)

Getting caught up and back into the swing now that we're coming up on Training Camp, so thought I'd make sure my cross-linking was up to date.

Since I'm doing my officiating comments and content over here this season, I'll be going live with the first of my weekly posts on the topic September first, looking at this summer's NHL R&D Camp.

Recent Posts:

• Capitals Outsider: 
• Careful Planning Ensures DCPS Beautification Day is Mascot-Disaster Free!
• The Lesser-Known Caps in the System (1/2) 
• Puck 'N Hockey:
• Matt Hendricks: Star Power - Confirmed!

In "real life" changes, I'm now working full time at a single rink (as opposed to splitting my hours between two), which has been part of the lag in getting things settled here at RtC.  We're going into playoffs this week for the summer adult leagues, hence why I'm using September 1 as a nice round starting point for the officiating posts.