Adam Proteau: NHL must do more to assert itself as the ultimate protector of players There are all kinds of newsworthy items that pop up from week-to-week in NHL circles. But this week – and every week – one issue is always there: who does the protecting of NHL players? The answer remains the same: the league itself should always be the primary protector of its athletes – and needs to do more to ensure as safe a work environment for them as possible.

Stop trying to make the game safer.

Why don't you and people like you go watch a different sport that doesn't hurt your feelings so much? Seems a lot easier for you all to just go away than keep trying to change a sport and culture that doesn't want to change. Hockey was fine before your element came around and it would be fine if you all went away.

The answer is simple. No physical contact unless it's incidental. Also have to stop playing on ice. Remove all boards from the playing surface.

Look. The NHL can't control this without dismantling the sport. Same goes for the NFL.

As long as you have guys shooting a hard rubber object, frozen, at over 100km an hour, people will get hurt. As long as you have boards players can collide into they will get hurt. As long as guys are able to skate at speeds faster than they can run, and smash into each other, they will get hurt.

So you can have touch football, and no contact ball hockey. Just don't suggest the sport can be played the same way and be safe. It's not possible. And really should we care if they get hurt? On a humane level sure. But they all know the risks, accept the risks and play anyways. And get paid very well to do it.

We live in a world where it's acceptable to have two consenting guys beat each other to a pulp, and a knock out is a former of victory. And what really is a knockout but a concussion? So if that's allowed to happen and it's an acceptable sport, why should hockey have to change to protect its players when the players know the risks full well.

The notion that increased fines and suspensions are problem solvers or a deterrent is also laughable. The game is played at speeds so fast most of these collisions are a result of split second actions. Hardly time enough to sit and ponder the consequences of the guy they're about to hit. And let's be real. The culture of the sport demands players play hard and physical. The league doesn't dictate this. The sport and hits history does. Because they're allowed to smash into each other. In addition, while not fully blaming the guys who receive hits, but as mentioned the game is so fast that one second a hit looks clean so player A goes for it. Player B turns suddenly and boom a hit from behind. No time to stop. No time to ponder fines and suspensionsee. Happens that quick.

In 2008, I finally unsubscribed to The Hockey News after reading it for 20 years.

The reason?

Jason Kay, Ken Campbell and Adam Proteau's constant nagging about making the game "safer". These three made THN absolutely unreadable with a constant barrage of articles on their vision of hockey utopia. They even corrupted Mike Brophy into writing nonsense articles.

Is THN not keeping you busy enough, Adam or is this just a retread article from THN?

how to make hockey great again:

1. go back to 1 ref per game
2. poopcan the instigator penalty
3. suspend the poop out of dirty players instead of using the sliding scale based on how popular they are
4. ???
5. profit