Here's the proposal agreed to by the league's 30 general managers (italics added):

A lateral, back pressure or blind-side hit to an opponent where the head is targeted and/or is the principal point of contact is not permitted. A violation of the above will result in a minor or major penalty and shall be reviewed for possible supplemental discipline.

As noted a few weeks ago, the hockey community is nowhere near consensus on the difference between a clean hit and a dirty one.

Given the range of opinions, the NHL GMs did well to agree to any kind of new rule.

But just wait until they try to define those italicized phrases. What are the chances of agreement blindside, targeted, principal point of contact, etc.?

If this proposal enters the rule book next season, you can bet a war of words will erupt with every attempt to enforce it.

Speaking of enforcement, here's reaction to the new proposal from the man in charge of handing out NHL suspensions, Colin Campbell:

"We're we are going is taking a completely legal hit now, with the shoulder, and saying from a certain aspect in the future, next year, that's going to be an illegal hit if delivered to the head," Campbell said. "Part two of that, which is a huge statement in the game, we're shifting some of the responsibility from the player getting hit to the player delivering the hit, which was never part of the game."

"You grew up you always had to have your head up, you'd get crap from your dad if you got hit when you were watching your pass. But now there's some responsibility on the guy delivering the hit."

Sounds like a guy reluctant to accept a brain-rattling shoulder smash as anything more than an ordinary hockey play.

If the NHL is serious about this new rule, is Campbell the right man to enforce it? Or is it time for him to move on?

(Photo: Justin K. Aller/Getty Images).

NHL Makes Head Shots Sort of Illegal Sometimes originally appeared on About.com Hockey on Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 at 18:56:06.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

But a preordained media event abhors a vacuum. So Scott Walker (pictured) becomes a big story in Washington, for lack of anything better to talk about.

The historical evidence tells us that most deadline deals are all hype and no impact - the blockbuster trade of 2007 is a prime example.

Maybe that explains why so many teams were quiet last week.

In spite of this, any team that creates a stir with a flurry of last-minute trades is invariably declared a "winner" in the media.

Elsewhere, you'll find reporters and columnists puzzled by the local team's reluctance to wheel and deal.

For would-be Stanley Cup contenders who don't spend deadline day collecting third-line forwards and aging defensemen, the standard response is to wonder whether the team did enough.

You have guys declaring victory for the teams that made all the moves, and guys wondering if a team might have made one move too many.

Other writers want to have it both ways, agreeing that the impact of trades "can't truly be determined for years," then naming winners and losers anyway, because "history is forever evolving," whatever that means.

And when else but deadline day can a team acquire Wojtek Wolski, Derek Morris, Alexandre Picard, Lee Stempniak, Petteri Nokelainen and Mathieu Schneider, and have it described as a "home run" by the pundits?

The right time to evaluate last week's transactions would be May, or June, or 12 months down the road.

But nobody ever seems to do that, because it would risk exposing the NHL trade deadline as a largely meaningless exercise.

(Photo: Mike Stobe/Getty Images).

Premature Evaluation of the NHL Trade Deadline originally appeared on About.com Hockey on Monday, March 8th, 2010 at 08:17:23.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

On an otherwise dreary NHL trade deadline day, the Phoenix Coyotes were working the phones, scooping up D Mathieu Schneider (from the Canucks), D Derek Morris (Bruins), F Wojtek Wolski (Avalanche), and F Lee Stempniak (Leafs).

Nothing wrong with Phoenix trying to get better. But when a team is owned by the league, the appearance of conflict of interest is rather embarrassing.

NHL VP Bill Daly told CBC.ca that the league would have to approve any Coyotes deal that put the team over its set budget. No word on whether that requirement came into play.

Washington was the other busy deadline team, loading up on the kind of unspectacular grunts who are supposedly indispensable to a Stanley Cup run.

The new Capitals are D Joe Corvo (Hurricanes), D Milan Jurcina (Blue Jackets), F Scott Walker (Hurricanes) and F Eric Belanger (Wild).

The most significant name traded at the deadline?

Probably Wolski, the 24-year-old who has been the second-leading scorer on a good Colorado team. He's no world-beater, but neither is anyone who changed cities today.

Or maybe Lubomir Visnovsky, the never-as-good-as-he-looks defenseman who moves from Edmonton to Anaheim.

In other news, the Leafs, Hurricanes, and Blue Jackets gathered draft picks like table scraps.

That's that for another year.

More Details: Trade Deadline Coverage from NHL.com

Photo: Wojtek Wolski: Colorado trades its second-leading scorer (Dale MacMillan/Getty Images).

Bettman's Boys Wheeling and Dealing on Deadline Day originally appeared on About.com Hockey on Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010 at 17:55:31.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Everything that follows - the stretch run, the playoffs, the final drive to the Stanley Cup - won't generate nearly as much interest as today's frenzied exchange of bodies and draft picks.

For thousands of fans, the maniacal pursuit of NHL trade rumors - hockey's version of celebrity gossip - is a sport in itself.

In an era when significant trades are few and far between, the deadline is about the only time when rumor and reality are sure to collide.

History suggests that today's flurry of activity will have almost no impact on the NHL's balance of power.

But trade rumor junkies have never been the type to let reality spoil the fun.

TSN.ca is a reliable site for breaking news. But Puck Daddy is the more entertaining read.

Photo: Ray Whitney of the Hurricanes is this year's trade rumor poster boy (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images).

Deadline Day Revelry originally appeared on About.com Hockey on Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010 at 10:24:27.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

That's according to the TV ratings from Sunday's Olympic Gold Medal Game.

Media Daily News reports 27.6 million viewers for NBC, the biggest hockey audience since the Miracle on Ice Olympics of 1980.

The Sports Media Watch blog says the 17.6 overnight rating could make the Canada-U.S. game the highest-rated ever, and puts the audience in perspective:

Sunday's game drew a higher overnight rating than every World Series game since 2004 (including every game of Yankees/Phillies last year), every NBA Finals telecast since 1998, and every NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four game since at least '98.

Excluding the NFL, the 17.6 overnight for the game is the second-highest of the year for any sporting event, behind only the Texas/Alabama BCS National Championship Game in January (18.2).

Meanwhile, Canadian broadcaster CTV is reporting an average audience of 16.6 million, making it the biggest TV audience in the country's history.

26.5 million Canadians - representing about 80 per cent of the population - watched at least part of the broadcast.

(Photo: Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

The Biggest Game Ever? originally appeared on About.com Hockey on Monday, March 1st, 2010 at 22:03:40.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Sidney Crosby's dramatic goal sent fans streaming into the streets, singing their national anthem and screaming "We're Number One!"

Number One, by a hair. It was only a mild exaggeration when one columnist thanked Crosby for saving Canada from a nervous breakdown.

Olympic Gold comes with bragging rights. So Canada needn't apologize for it's triumphalism.

But like every epic international event that preceded it, the 2010 Olympic tournament was a reminder that nobody owns hockey, and no one nation can dominate the game.

There are five or six dominant hockey nations, and a few more than can upset the best-laid plans on any given day.

"Almost the best team ever," is how Slovakia's Marian Hossa judged Team Canada 2010.

And yet this juggernaut of a team struggled to beat the Slovaks and Swiss, and blew a 2-0 lead in the Gold Medal Game before Crosby's goal warded off what would have been a Canadian disaster for the ages.

There have been four Olympic Games since 1998, when NHL players began their participation.

Canada has two gold medals. But in the other two tournaments they came home empty-handed.

The mighty Russians have only a silver and bronze during the same period.

And no nation has come close to repeating as Olympic champions. Since '98, the defending champs have not only failed to defend, but failed to win a medal of any color.

Played at its highest and most entertaining level - as this tournament was - hockey is a game of almost supernatural parity.

"Let's not get cocky, let's not get overconfident," Canadian GM Steve Yzerman told reporters, as the country continued its delirious celebration.

"It's hard winning. It really is. What we just experienced here, we should really appreciate these moments because it won't happen every Olympic Games."

See also:

• Men's Olympic Hockey Results
• All-Time Olympic Hockey Medal List
• Women's Olympic Hockey Results
• Olympic Hockey History
• Hockey Fans at the Games: A Photo Gallery

(Photo: Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Number One... By a Hair originally appeared on About.com Hockey on Monday, March 1st, 2010 at 12:26:52.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

See also:

• Men's Hockey Schedule and Results
• Women's Hockey Results
• 2010 Olympic Hockey Guide
• Olympic Hockey History
• Hockey Fans at the Games: A Photo Gallery

(Photo: Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Sidney Crosby's Epic Moment originally appeared on About.com Hockey on Sunday, February 28th, 2010 at 18:37:37.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Whatever the result on Sunday, you have to think the American goaltender will be the pivotal figure.

Ryan Miller is among the best in the NHL this year. He's been solid in this tournament. He's beaten Canada once already.

The Americans arrived in Vancouver as underdogs. Does the Miller factor make them the favorite to beat Canada and claim gold for the first time since the Miracle on Ice?

Finland made it easy for the U.S. in Friday's semifinal, folding early in a game that ended 6-1.

Canada survived a late scare and escaped with a 3-2 win over the Slovaks, who are the true story of these Games.

See also:

• Men's Hockey Schedule and Results
• Women's Hockey Results
• 2010 Olympic Hockey Guide
• Olympic Hockey History
• Hockey Fans at the Games: A Photo Gallery

(Photo: Harry How/Getty Images)

Is Olympic Gold Ryan Miller's to Win or Lose? originally appeared on About.com Hockey on Saturday, February 27th, 2010 at 00:19:35.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

For the best women players, the international game is an ongoing process.

Canada and the United States are constantly putting each to the test.

The Americans prevailed in September's Canada Cup tournament.

Maybe they peaked too early.

Canada regained the edge from then on, winning the Four Nations Cup in November, and most of the exhibition games that followed.

That long road ended - for now - with Canada's third straight Olympic gold medal and the Americans' third consecutive silver second silver in three tries.

Canada's 2-0 win in Thursday's final game was not as close as the score indicates. Team USA rarely looked dangerous.

Canadian scorer Meghan Agosta is the tournament MVP. Goaltender Shannon Szabados is the best story.

For the U.S., it's likely that a new generation will take over from from veterans like Julie Chu, Angela Ruggiero, and Jenny Potter.

See also:

• Complete 2010 Olympic Women's Hockey Results
• Complete Olympic Women's Hockey Medal Winners
• Women's Hockey: A Brief History
• Men's Hockey Schedule and Results
• 2010 Olympic Hockey Guide
• Olympic Hockey History
• Hockey Fans at the Games: A Photo Gallery

(Photo: Harry How/Getty Images)

The Long Road to Gold originally appeared on About.com Hockey on Thursday, February 25th, 2010 at 23:16:03.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Nice to look at, fun to be around, works hard, bows out gracefully when the field narrows to the true contenders.

No more.

With Pavol Demitra, Marian Hossa, Marian Gaborik, and goaltender Jaroslav Halak leading the way, Slovakia took down the defending champs Wednesday night.

That makes Slovakia two-for-two in games they're supposed to lose. Last week they beat Russia in a preliminary round game.

The Slovaks are already guaranteed their best Olympic finish ever. On Friday, they match swimsuits with the true glamor queen of this pageant: Team Canada.

Meanwhile, the Czechs are done and headed home, thanks in part to a "really stupid rule."

Semifinal schedule:

Friday, February 26
Semifinal 1: USA vs. Finland (12:00 pm Pacific Time, 3:00 pm EST)
Semifinal 2: Canada vs. Slovakia (6:30 pm Pacific Time, 9:30 pm EST)

See also:

• Men's Hockey Schedule and Results
• Women's Hockey Schedule and Results
• 2010 Olympic Hockey Guide
• Olympic Hockey History
• Hockey Fans at the Games: A Photo Gallery

(Photo: Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

Miss Congeniality Roars originally appeared on About.com Hockey on Thursday, February 25th, 2010 at 08:45:22.

Permalink | Comment | Email this