The NHL and Head Shots

By Johnathan Walker

     Anyone who has watched the NHL over the past few years has noticed two things. Players don't seem to have any respect for each other and are hitting other players in very dangerous ways. The second thing the NHL fan would notice is the leagues attempt to combat this problem. The problem is the officials get it wrong time and time again. Has the game moved past the current set of NHL officials? Does the league need new blood from the lower leagues, people that have developed as officials along with the new talent coming into the league? As a fan of hockey it get's frustrating to see a player get only 2min for an obvious attempt to hurt a player, or a completely out of control hit. And then see a player attempting to make a hit on a player that is in the process of going down  and see that hitter get the book thrown at him.
    I won't name any specific incidents I'm certain you already have one or two in mind. I know it must be difficult to call games real time, and I know the officials are under pressure from Toronto. Yet, I still see certain players that don't have to play by the same rules as the rest of the field. The NHL needs to bring in younger officials that have developed in juniors, college, and the minor leagues. These guys have watched talented players and hack goons. They would be able to point out the poor play and keep up with the speed of the NHL. They also wouldn't have any chummy relationships with coaches or current NHL players. They would also try to prove themselves as officials, not try to be the center of attention like the current men in the zebra stripes.
   Thank you for your time, feel free to leave your opinion on the NHL and their situation with cheap shots in the comments section. And as always visit JohnnySports for news, blogs, and commenting.