Player With a Long History of Concussions Forced to Fight After Laying a Clean Hit
During last night's match between the Vancouver Canucks and the Dallas Stars, a clean hit resulted in a player with a scary history of concussions being forced to fight without notice. The incident is one of many this season that has NHL general managers debating how to approach fighting after clean hits.
Juulsen Caught Off Guard by Faksa After Clean Hit
Late in the first period, Noah Juulsen stepped up at his own blue line to kill a Dallas rush by laying a clean, hard check to Luke Glendenning. After the hit Juulsen turned his focus back to the play, that was until Glendenning's teammate Radek Faksa forced him to drop the gloves.
Juulsen, who was originally drafted by Montreal in the first round back in 2015, has had an unfortunate history of concussions throughout his professional career. Due to his history, the young defenseman has spent a considerable amount of time in the American Hockey League up until this year, where he's been given an NHL role on an injured Vancouver lineup.
The fight last night was just one of many that has sparked controversy over players having to answer for clean hits by fighting. In this case, Faksa blindsided Juulsen with a hit after the play, and didn't even give him a chance to get his gloves off.
Luckily, Juulsen appeared to be okay as he headed to the penalty box. Hopefully he can put his history of head injuries behind him, and carve out an NHL career for himself.
As seen on Tim and Friends - Noah Juulsen is forced to fight Radek Faksa after delivering a hit on Luke Glendening
| POLL | ||
Should the league penalize players who instigate a fight after a clean hit? | ||
| Yes | 220 | 75.3 % |
| No | 72 | 24.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
