Sabres notebook
NHL issues a heads-up on illegal hits
BOSTON — No one will argue that flagrant head shots are a bane to the game. There are too many reckless plays, so the NHL recently sent a memo warning players to stop.
Lindy Ruff, however, is worried a different type of carelessness could ruin hockey. He says some players getting hit need to use more caution.
"The deliberate head shots I definitely agree with. I don't think there's any excuse," the Buffalo Sabres coach said. "If it's a deliberate head shot where somebody has just gone over and elbowed somebody in the head or got his stick up, it should be dealt with and dealt with swiftly.
"But there are a lot of gray ones that make it tough because you don't want to take some of that hitting out of our game. Some of that hitting is the great part of our game. Some players put themselves in a tough situation that they need to take [care] of themselves better, and there's some times that the attacker has to be aware of where the player's at and show some caution.
"It's still a very tough interpretation. You can look at any hit any way. You look at the size differential on some players. You look at the situations where players are bent over going up ice."
The NHL sent out its memo because of two recent head shots that warranted supplemental discipline.
"The length of suspensions for illegal blows to the head will be increased if these incidents persist across the league," wrote Colin Campbell, the league's senior vice president and director of hockey operations.
People have long judged the legality of hits differently. But no one likes seeing stretchers, missed games and intent to injure.
"You've got to respect the players in the league," said forward Andrew Peters, the Sabres' representative to the NHL Players' Association. "We're all in this for the same thing: We want to win. It's OK to bump a guy and hit a guy, but there's no need to bring the head into a hit. It's just dangerous.
"I think it's good that it is in writing now. It'll definitely send a message to the league and to the players about how serious an issue this is."
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Tim Connolly, who has an upper-body injury, missed his second straight game Wednesday when the Sabres visited Boston. The injury is not related to any of the center's previous ailments from this season.
"Here's what I'll rule out: It has absolutely nothing to do with concussion; it has absolutely nothing to do with vertebrae," Ruff said in TD Banknorth Garden. "It's brand new."
Connolly was lambasted by St. Louis' Keith Tkachuk on Nov. 12 but managed to play Friday. Now that he's listed as week-to-week, it could be awhile before he plays again.
"It's an injury that I don't want to explain," Ruff said. "It's a tough one, and I don't want to explain it. I give him a lot of credit for muscling his way through one game. If it was a groin injury, I'd tell you a groin because nobody's going to go after his groin. If it's an injury where I really think somebody could target, you don't say anything."
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The Sabres' next game against Boston will feature the debut of Buffalo's third jersey, highlighted by the team's original logo. The Bruins visit HSBC Arena on Wednesday, and it will be the first of 16 tentatively scheduled appearances by the uniform.
The Sabres will also wear the jersey at the following home dates: Nov. 28 (Pittsburgh); Dec. 12 (Toronto); Dec. 19 (Los Angeles); Jan. 9 (New York Rangers); Feb. 4 (Toronto); Feb. 6 (Montreal); Feb. 11 (Ottawa); Feb. 21 (Rangers); March 4 (Montreal); March 12 (Florida); March 20 (Philadelphia); March 27 (Toronto); April 6 (Detroit); and April 11 (Boston). They will use them once on the road, when they visit Toronto on Jan. 1.
