In recent years, the NHL has made significant progress in protecting its players from unnecessary contact to the head. The sport is evolving past its previous era, when concussions were the natural product of "good hard hockey" and were treated with a couple slaps upside the face and some smelling salts. This shift toward player safety is a fantastic development for the sport and should be applauded. However, the league's inability to uniformly enact discipline is simply deplorable.
Andrew Shaw's dangerous hit against Francois Beauchemin last night, where he used his helmet to impact the Avalanche defenseman's head, is the latest example of this incongruity.