from Mike Zeisberger of the Toronto Sun,

“I haven’t seen a replay of it but my initial thought is that he was standing up and it was a clean hit,” Jackets coach Todd Richards said, adding that he had chatted with Anisimov after the game and he “feels pretty good.”

Obviously the main concern related to The Hit was Anisimov’s health which, according to the early indications, seemed pretty good, all things considered.

Having said that, The Hit — one which pretty much everyone in the building seemed to think was legal, including Richards and Jackets president of hockey operations John Davidson — just underscores the grey area that players must deal with when they want to unleash big checks these days.

Pretty much the only person at the Air Canada Centre who felt the Maple Leafs captain had made contact with Anisimov’s noggin was the official who immediately put his arm up in the air, slapping Phaneuf with an “illegal check to the head” minor.

more and watch the hit below...