Eric Gryba Somehow Won't Be Disciplined For This Hit On Jimmy Hayes [VIDEO]
By Matt Dolloff (@mattdolloff)
BOSTON (CBS) -- In case you missed the end of the Bruins game against the Edmonton Oilers, Jimmy Hayes took a fairly vicious hit from Oilers defenseman Eric Gryba early in the third period. Watch the hit in the video above.
With the game tied 1-1, Hayes raced to the corner of the offensive zone to make a cross-ice pass when Gryba drove him hard into the boards. The defenseman's elbow was too high as it made clear contact with Hayes' head and face. The hit drew an elbowing minor penalty, and it appears that there will be no discipline for Gryba beyond that.
The hit isn't necessarily dirty, nor could you say there was any malicious intent behind it. Gryba just went too high. But he should still face further discipline for the hit, because hits to the head are precisely what the league is trying to eradicate from the league, regardless of the intent of the players who deliver them.
If the league is serious about making players stop going so high on their hits, they need to hit Gryba with at least a fine. With fighting also on the decline, players are losing the ability to police themselves - players like Gryba need to know that hitting a player in the head will come with consequences.
Not to mention, the 6'4" Gryba sort of had to try to go high in order to elbow the 6'6" Hayes in the face, so it's hard to say that the head contact was merely incidental. But Gryba is not a dirty player, which is probably one reason why he's likely getting a pass here.
Regardless of what Gryba was trying to do, he really should face some kind of discipline for making such hard contact with another player's head and face. A suspension might be too much, but a fine would suffice. If the NHL really wants to stop hits to the head, they need to lower the hammer for hits like this.
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Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. His opinions do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Read more from Matt here. Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.
