Windsor Star

NHL referees to clamp down on hand slashes

Gaudreau’s broken finger and other ugly incidents prompt step up in enforcemen­t

- ERIC FRANCIS New York ericfranci­s@shaw.ca Twitter.com/EricFranci­s

The NHL’s referees are about to come to Johnny Gaudreau’s defence.

The league’s department of player safety has instructed officials to crack down on slashes to the hands this season following several wrist, hand and finger injuries inflicted by dangerous stick work.

It’s unlikely any player in the league will benefit more from such a crackdown than the Calgary Flames’ Gaudreau, whose gifted mitts were targeted all season long, resulting in a broken finger last November that cost him 10 games of service after being surgically repaired.

“Over time it became a whackfest in and around the hands and players were getting hurt,” said NHL VP and director of officiatin­g, Stephen Walkom, during NHL meetings in New York.

“If you slash a player’s hands with force we are looking to shore that up because we’ve let it go for too long. If we really want to increase scoring in the game, why are we allowing players to wield their sticks six or eight feet away from the puck? It’s an area I believe we let slip.” No longer. Last year there were 791 minor penalties called for slashing. Hundreds of others went uncalled and resulted in highprofil­e injuries.

You can expect that number to skyrocket this season.

Players and fans have more than just Gaudreau to thank for that.

“This was a direction given to us by Garth Snow and 31 general managers,” said the NHL’s senior VP of hockey operations, Mike Murphy, whose group responded to the hue and cry of the hockey community that saw Gaudreau’s finger broken by Eric Staal and Marc Methot’s pinky partly severed by Sidney Crosby.

“Guys are breaking hands and fingers. There will be a spike initially in slashing penalties, but the players will conform eventually.”

Murphy said even the competitio­n committee brought it up, necessitat­ing the tightening of rule 61.1, which says, “any forceful or powerful chop with the stick on an opponent’s body, the opponent’s stick, or on or near the opponent’s hands that, in the judgment of the referee, is not an attempt to play the puck, shall be penalized as slashing.”

It’s not a new rule, but officials have let it go for years.

Just like when players waterskied behind opponents by hooking and hitching rides right through to the 2004 Stanley Cup final series that the Flames lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning, the trend had to stop.

It was around that time hooks started turning into whacks.

The night Gaudreau left thanks to Staal’s slash, the Minnesota Wild were targeting Gaudreau’s wrist area so heavily that a video breakdown showed he’d been hit there 21 times that night.

Flames fans and management were furious after the costly slash, pointing out quite clearly that slashing was supposed to be an infraction.

Well, it is now, which is music to GM Brad Treliving’s ears. He was one of the many GMs who voiced his concern and displeasur­e with the league for allowing such rampant stickwork.

“Any time it allows skill and talent to flourish, it’s a good move,” said Treliving, anticipati­ng the league will give teams a comprehens­ive look at the extent of the crackdown during the pre-season.

“If you go back a few years we got away from the slashing of the sticks and tugging of the hands, and this is good. Since the beginning of time taps have been going on, but as injuries happen it has come to the forefront more.”

NHL executive VP and director of hockey operations Colin Campbell outlined how several other rules would be more strictly enforced this year, including ensuring centres lining up for a faceoff would be kicked out of the circle for not positionin­g their skates behind the markings.

The goal is to further eliminate unfair advantages gained by players, as well as reduce headbuttin­g and making it a safer area for the official dropping the puck.

The tucking in of jerseys in any fashion won’t be tolerated, nor will players wearing their visors improperly.

At a league briefing, Flames forward Sean Monahan’s visor was shown in a picture sitting too high on his helmet, failing to adequately protect his eye line.

One of the rule changes prohibits teams that just iced the puck to follow that play with a timeout.

Another big rule change dings coaches with a delay-of-game penalty if their challenge of an offside ruling before a goal is incorrect. Previously, coaches simply lost their timeout while fans lost their minds over the endless delays.

Since the beginning of time taps have been going on, but as injuries happen it has come to the forefront more.

 ?? FILES ?? Calgary Flames forward Johnny Gaudreau suffered a broken finger after being slashed by Eric Staal last November.
FILES Calgary Flames forward Johnny Gaudreau suffered a broken finger after being slashed by Eric Staal last November.
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