from Rob Rossi at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review,

Sadly, a hockey play is also what Dion Phaneuf's open-ice walloping of Bryan Rust must be considered. It was "clean" in that it was within the rules that are drawn up by league general managers.

The NHL will be better — or, at the very least, closer in resemblance to hockey as it should be played — when its rulebook is drafted by a group of former skilled players, a group to which GMs rarely have belonged. Also, the NHL will be better — or, at the very least, not laughable — when its on- and off-ice officials begin taking seriously the issue of head safety.

The NHL does not.

Instead, at all levels associated with the NHL, there continues to be disgusting victim shaming ("Rust was skating with his head down" was a common comment during Game 2) along with shameful attempts to brainwash the general public into believing that all is well.

Players' heads may no longer be hunted, but they're certainly not protected. So, nope, all is not well.

Which is no way a suggestion that all is wrong. There remains a lot to like about the hockey being staged into May in the National Hockey League.

But it's not good enough to pass off the hits this postseason that have taken out Crosby and Rust as "hockey plays." And that's entirely because those plays need not have a place in hockey.

The problem with the NHL is it hasn't figured out that the Stanley Cup playoffs are always best when "hockey" is actually being played.

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If you missed the hit on Rust, watch it below and still no update on Rust who did not return to the game.