from Damien Cox at the Toronto Star,

So, look what’s happening this fall. A crackdown on cross-checking, or a new effort by the league to allow the officials to enforce the rule book. The idea is that players with two hands on their stick can “push or guide” an opponent, but not use “excessive force.” What constitutes excessive force will, of course, probably have a great deal to do with the score of a game, how much time is left and how many penalties have been called.

In other words, don’t hold your breath for this to last past Christmas.

But it does underline the actual problem here. NHL referees are not incompetent, but they are constantly hamstrung by a head office that won’t do what is necessary to free up the most skilled players in the game and is terrified of critics who complain the game isn’t physical enough any more.

If the cross-checking problem is solved effectively, it will be good for the game. Even though, according to Bettman, there was never a problem in the first place.

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