Changes in Game Misconduct Penalties
Previously in the NHL, the only penalties that could get a
player ejected were boarding and hitting from behind calls. As a way to
increase player safety, the NHL has implemented a rule change that allows the
referees to assign a game misconduct for multiple different penalties now such
as Clipping, charging, elbowing, interference, kneeing, head-butting and
butt-ending. This change hopes to make players think twice about making an
illegal check as it now could now have them thrown out of the game. It can be argued that these recent changes have been improving player safety. Over the last couple years, the amount of penalties taken per year have slowly been decreasing and is now hovering around a league average of 10 penalty minutes per game. Much less than some teams who were averaging nearly 25 penalty minutes per game just a few years ago. The only issue that people have with some of these rule changes is that it is taking part of the game of hockey away. I do not agree with this as they have tried to keep clean, but still hard hits in the game without penalties or suspensions.
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