Dougie Hamilton Suspended 10 Games

The Ontario Hockey League announced yesterday that Niagara Ice Dogs star,WJC bronze medalist, and Boston Bruins prospect Dougie Hamilton has been suspended 10 games for a head check. The hit occurred on Jan 13th, 2012 vs the Sudbury Wolves.

OHL Press Release

I never saw the hit until the OHL discipline video but my take on it is that there as been much worse hits around the OHL this year that have received much lighter or no suspension at all. I believe that there was no intent on Dougie Hamilton's part to target the Wolves player's head. Dougie cuts across the ice in I guess what can be considered a "blindside angle" and his shoulder makes contact with Michael MacDonald's head.

Dougie Hamilton Discipline Video

MacDonald lost the puck just briefly before Hamilton made the hit but that wasn't even in the justification by the OHL. My issue with this suspension is when will players be held accountable for their own safety? And when will the OHL/NHL realize that it was possibly a mistake to increase the speed of the game like they did (but that will be another post probably tomorrow)?
MacDonald had his head down watching the puck. I don't know what it is but every time I used to get hit with my head down, my coaches used to tell me "Keep your head up kid". Now if you skate around with your head down its ok, you might get hurt, but that player that hit you is going to receive 10 games for a hit to the head. Players need to be held accountable for their own safety. MacDonald shouldn't have had his head down like that, he needs to be awards of his surroundings. If MacDonald doesn't have his head down like that and turn in the way he did Hamilton's shoulder would have make contact with the shoulder or chest. We see this more and more lately where a player turns at the last second or has their head down and the player making the hit doesn't have time to react.

Hockey is a fast paced game. It is about time the OHL/NHL need to realize that maybe some changes to some rules would be better then stiffer suspensions for checking to the head; not to mention, players need to be held accountable for their own actions and the positions they put themselves in.
Was Hamilton's hit illegal? Yes no question about it. Was it worth 5 min + GM? From an official stand point yet, because officials are not able to review a video and look at the details of the hit exactly. Was it worth a 10 game suspension? In my mind not at all, maybe 2-5 games tops. I just don't like the position that MacDonald put himself in, in that situation.