To Touch or not to Touch

It wasn’t the first time that something like this had happened. Most notably in 2008 a very similar incident occurred when Kurtis Foster, then a member of the Minnesota Wild, went heavily lower body first into the boards after being checked by Sharks forward Torrey Mitchell in a race to prevent an icing call. Foster would miss an entire season and playoffs with a broken femur.

Taylor Fedun, a 23 year old prospect of the Edmonton Oilers, and a native of Edmonton, had impressed at training camp and was hoping for a shot on the Oilers blueline for the start of the season. However, on September 30th, in an incident similar to that of Foster’s, Fedun got tangled up with Eric Nystrom of the Minnesota Wild and also went hard into the boards. His diagnosis is also a broken femur, so his season is over.

The incident has sparked debate about whether or not the NHL should implement a no-touch icing rule similar to what is used in international competition.

While this is not a new discussion, the NHL seems to have a current mandate to make changes that will better serve the players and prevent serious injuries from occurring. This has been evidenced by the new headshot rule that has been implemented to reduce concussions and accordingly the number of suspensions that have been handed out by Brendan Shanahan, as a result of incidents in the preseason.

Incidents as severe as those experienced by Fedun and Foster are rare, but there have been a multitude of injuries that have resulted over the years from races to the puck to prevent or get an icing call. If the league is really serious about protecting its players, it seems like the no touch icing rule may be a logical step to implement into the game.

While I admit that I personally have always enjoyed seeing a speedy forward trying to outrace a defender to have an icing call waived or vice-versa, I would definitely be ok with this being removed from the game, if incidents like those suffered by Foster and Fedun could be prevented.

Let’s hope the NHL takes a long look at this issue and makes the right decision.