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Over the years, the purpose of body checking has shifted from trying to separate the puck carrier from the puck into a means of physically punishing opponents even when puck possession is no longer an issue.

My number one takeway from last night's controversial hit by Detroit Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall on Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov was that the puck was already going past Kronwall's feet. It was no longer within Kucherov's reach at the point Kronwall delivered the explosive hit that has some calling for his suspension for Game Seven of the series.

Strictly from a hockey play point of view, there was no really need to bury the vulnerable Tampa player by the time the hit was delivered. If I was his teammate, I'd have ticked at Kronwall -- which is usually a pretty good refereeing barometer (the "Udvari Rule") for whether a hit is deserving of a penalty by the officials.

In terms of supplementary discipline, the principle point of contact from the hit was Kucherov's head -- something we all want to see eliminated from the game -- and this is what puts the hit into the gray area of a potentially suspension-worthy offense in today's game. By older interpretations, it was probably not something that would draw a suspension in and of itself.

Kronwall has long been known as an aggressive hitter and has been accused in the past of jumping into hits with the defense being that the toe of his skate stays on the ice as he delivers the hit but the impact of the hit lifts him off the ice. That could be debated here as to exactly when Kronwall completely leaves his feet.

Some have called the hit an elbow, but it looked to me more liked a forearm shiver that chicken-winged outwardly on impact. I don't see this play as an elbowing incident. That does not automatically get Kronwall off the hook, however. It is still reviewable based on being a head shot, with replays on whether it can be categorized as charging (a decision needs to be rendered on whether Kronwall left his feet to deliver the hit).

If it were my decision to make, Kronwall would sit for Game Seven because it was a gratuitous head-shot with the puck already gone. Some contact may have been permissible since Kronwall had locked in on his check when the puck was about to leave his stick but it's hard to call this heavy of a high hit a legitimate hockey play even if it gets defended as such by the offending side.

With that said, this play dances right along the borderline of what the NHL may or may not opt to meet with supplemental discipline. The Department of Player Safety has already punted on suspending a few more clear-cut incidents during the playoffs. I could be wrong (it wouldn't be first time) by I think the NHL lets this one slide, too.

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Paul Stewart holds the distinction of being the first U.S.-born citizen to make it to the NHL as both a player and referee. On March 15, 2003, he became the first American-born referee to officiate in 1,000 NHL games.

Today, Stewart is an officiating and league discipline consultant for the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) and serves as director of hockey officiating for the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC).

The longtime referee heads Officiating by Stewart, a consulting, training and evaluation service for officials. Stewart also maintains a busy schedule as a public speaker, fund raiser and master-of-ceremonies for a host of private, corporate and public events. As a non-hockey venture, he is the owner of Lest We Forget.

In addition to his blogs for HockeyBuzz every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, Stewart writes a column every Wednesday for the Huffington Post.