With hits to the head becoming more and more common and increasingly dangerous, NHL General Managers passed a ruling down to the league in their Annual General Meeting banning blindside hits to the head. A blindside hit is one where lateral or back-pressure is applied to the head from a position that the player being hit cannot see. The league has determined that in plays where the puck handler is being hit from the side the responsibility to make contact with the body and avoid the head lies with the hitting player; however, in hits from the front it is still the puck handler’s responsibility to keep his head up and know that he may be attacked from the front while carrying the puck and that incidental contact with the head will not result in disciplinary action.

In CIS play, hits to the head will always garner a ten minute misconduct in addition to the two-minute minor but as anyone who has watched CIS hockey knows, not every hit to the head is caught so it is still important for players to keep their heads up at all times and be aware of where they are on the ice in relation to their opponents.