PJ Stock

The NHL’s 30 general managers normally try and get together once or twice a year to discuss issues of their league. Issues such as how can they make the league better, more entertaining, more lucrative and, of course, more safe.

By now, I'm sure most of you have heard about some of the GM meeting’s thoughts that were tossed around. Head hits were front and centre and still it's going to be a grey issue, not a black and white one, which I completely understand.

I have no problem with a "head shot" as long as it is a hockey play. If you lay a guy out because his head is down, so be it. It's the first thing they teach you in peewee hockey growing up - "keep your head up!" So many arguments you hear are that he shouldn't have hit him because he was in a vulnerable position. My answer to that is don't put yourself in a vulnerable position.

When was the last time you saw Lidstrom, Chelios, Pronger, Niedermayer (take away the Domi cheap-shot elbow) put themselves in a vulnerable position? The older guys grew up playing a game that’s different from the one we play today. You'd expect the older slower guys to be the ones getting hit and hurt but it isn't.

Difference between headshots and cheap shots

The reason their heads are up when they go into a corner or into a play is because they understand what might happen and they prepare for it. I teach my seven-year-old boy in novice hockey that just because it's a rule to not hit from behind, it doesn't mean that the rest of the players are going to follow it. So don't put yourself in a position with your back to anyone. You shouldn't be tripped because it's a penalty, yet players trip other players. It's the same thing for everything and the same for hitting from behind. If you eliminate the chances of being in that vulnerable position, you eliminate the chances of getting hit from behind.

Quickly back to the head hits. Just to reiterate, I have no problem with a hockey hit to the head. I DO have an issue with cheap shots to anywhere of the body, especially the head.

What people have to understand is that you can't penalize every time someone gets knocked out or gets their bell rung. What you can penalize is the manner in which he was hit. If it was late, if it was from behind, if it was from the side, if an elbow was used, etc. It’s a tough issue that no matter what comes out of the meetings, nothing will be settled until next year or the year after.

If I can throw in two cents. Here’s my problem with the hits we've been seeing. Take the Savard injury for example, Matt Cooke was late and from the side and aimed for the head (not the shoulder and head, just the head) and he is a repeat offender.

He should be punished. And the next time, the punishment should double.

There should be no exceptions to this rule. (Remember Pronger in the playoffs a few years back?).

In other GM meeting news … all-star pick ‘ems?

We all can argue the issues the GMs discussed in Florida, but there is another one that I'd like to bring up.

I like the fact that they mentioned the All-Star Game. A thought was throw around that maybe the NHL should pick two captains and have them pick their own teams. I bring this one up because I love it and hate it.

OK, No. 87, you're captain, pick your team. It would be awesome to see who he’d pick. It would be a media's dream. At the same time, it would be a complete nightmare. Let's say Crosby doesn't get along with Ovechkin and doesn't pick him on his team for the EAST ... it would be comical. He would be loved or hated by his own teammates who he picked and hated from the ones he didn't.

At least we'd be able to blame him for the picks instead of the loony fans that decided to vote all starting positions last year to the Canadiens, a team who was in eighth spot. Do you really think that people in Pittsburgh started outbidding the loyal fans in Habland to get Crosby in the lineup? Uh, nope.

Someone had to step in and stop the insanity. If a captain gives his list, there wouldn't be any outside influence. I like it, but it would be a disaster in the long run. Great idea but won't happen.