Burke says a hug'll do ya

Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager Brian Burke is convinced a good hug may go a long way to curbing a constant safety issue in the NHL - hitting from behind.

Burke is lobbying the league to allow what he calls a "bear hug," where a player, usually a defenseman, is allowed to wrap his arms around the targeted player, for a fleeting moment, while he takes him into the boards.

Burke says this change would avoid the "billiard-ball" force hits that exist now where all of the force is transferred directly from the "hitter" to the "hittee."

wprager wrote:http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=316352

Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager Brian Burke is convinced a good hug may go a long way to curbing a constant safety issue in the NHL - hitting from behind.

Burke is lobbying the league to allow what he calls a "bear hug," where a player, usually a defenseman, is allowed to wrap his arms around the targeted player, for a fleeting moment, while he takes him into the boards.

Burke says this change would avoid the "billiard-ball" force hits that exist now where all of the force is transferred directly from the "hitter" to the "hittee."

Interesting idea, but it means you would have to "hug" (otherwise known as "holding") a player way before it became too late to even slow down. Players would definitely use that to re-introduce holding. I don't think this will work.