No Disicpline For Brandon Bollig

Here is a hit from last night's game between Chicago and Minnesota, in which Chicago's Brandon Bollig goes hard at Wild forward Zach Parise:

GIF Credit: SB Nation

No penalty was called on Bollig. Parise left the game for a few moments, but did return later in the second period and played the remainder of the game. Parise said after the game that he did have a bit of a headache, but yet he still played on.

Today, it was confirmed that there will be no hearing for Bollig's hit. Meaning: he will go unpunished. This coming after the league handed out no discipline for the Brooks Orpik hit on Jonathan Toews last week.

Here is the NHL rulebook definition on illegal check to the head:

A hit resulting in contact with an opponent’s head where the head is targeted and the principal point of contact is not permitted. However, in determining whether such a hit should have been permitted, the circumstances of the hit, including whether the opponent put himself in a vulnerable position immediately prior to or simultaneously with the hit or the head contact on an otherwise legal body check was avoidable, can be considered.

This hit seemed to meet all the criteria for an illegal check to the head. Parise had his head more sticking out, and his back turned to Bollig. Bollig continues to drive through Parise and lifts his shoulder creating contact with his head area. Parise was also in more of a defenseless position with his back turned to Bollig the entire time.

Neither the officials on ice or the department of player safety found this hit in violation of any rule in the NHL rule book.

Can the NHL tell us how this was not illegal? Perhaps a video where Shanahan explains why this was deemed within the rules of the game?

If you are going to police hits to the head, police them. If you aren't, then don't at all.


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