Is This the Type of Hit the NHL Should Be Eliminating?

Hits to the head have been hot topic in the NHL for quite a while now, and this past week's bombshell that former player Reggie Fleming had suffered significant brain damage at the time of his death -- the type found in NFL players and boxers -- is only going to keep that debate going full steam ahead.

So let's poke the fire a little bit.

During Saturday's Boston-Toronto game, Maple Leafs forward Matt Stajan was on the receiving end of a crushing open-ice hit from Johnny Boychuk, much to the delight of Bruins announcer Jack Edwards.

According to the current NHL rules, that's a legal hit (no elbow, didn't leave his feet prior to making contact) but it's clearly a shot directly to Stajan's head, as you can see at the 1:44 mark of the video shown above. At the risk being called a "granola cruncher" by Mike Milbury for "wussifying the game," is this the type of hit the NHL should be working to avoid?

As long as players keep getting bigger, faster and stronger -- while the playing surface remains the same size -- and the rules stay the same, players are going to keep getting lit up like this and the debate will rage on while more players inevitably suffer significant head injuries.

The only penalty on the play went to Alexei Ponikarovsky for roughing Boychuk following the hit. Toronto ultimately won the game, 2-0, thanks to goals from Tomas Kaberle and Jason Blake, while rookie goaltender Jonas Gustavsson earned his first career shutout by stopping 25 shots.

Toronto has now won eight of its past 13 games, climbing to within four points of the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference.