The seven-point plan

Published 5:00 pm Wednesday, September 14, 2011

All 22 of the WHL’s general managers and coaches gathered in Calgary on Tuesday to go over the league’s seven-point plan, which goes into effect this season. The primary purpose of the plan is to deal with the epidemic of concussions that has plagued the WHL and hockey in general.

I got a chance to chat a bit with Tips general manager Doug Soetaert about the seminar today. He said the purpose of the plan is not to legislate the physical aspect out of the game. The WHL is not trying to get rid of hitting, but it is trying to deal with hits to the head.

The seven-point plan specifically deals with blindside hits. The new standard is 90 degrees, meaning the player delivering a hit must arrive at an angle rotated no more than 90 degrees from the direction the puck-carrying player’s body is pointing.

One likely consequence is that there’s going to be some penalties called early in the season that seem a little light. Expect it to take a little time for the players (and fans) to get accustomed to the new standards.