Cole out 4-6 Weeks

The only real hockey news right now is out of Carolina, where key player Erik Cole will be out 4-6 weeks

The injury, a fracture in the lower leg, occured on what appeared to be a clean hit by Boston's Dennis Wideman, that Cole was attempting to avoid. The injury leaves a hole on the top line, which Carolina is planning to fill with Tuomo Ruutu.


That's the video. You can see the hit in like the first 15 seconds.

This hit, however made me wonder. Is it really worth is for NHL players to try and avoid a hit? If Cole takes this his head on, is he any the worse for wear? He doesn't fracture his leg, but does he get a concussion? A broken collar bone? Or does he just end up needing to go to the bench for a few minutes? We can't say now.

Thinking back to the playoffs last season, when Matt Cooke or Alex Ovechkin laid similar, though seemingly more intentional dirty hits, in the conference finals and semi-finals, respectively, what would have happened with a head on hit? I'm probably bias, but at least the Ovechkin probably would have been worse given the distance from the boards. What the hell was that kid thinking. Matt Cooke's hit, as I remember was open ice, more similar to this one.

In the end, I suppose it comes down to hockey being a physical sport, and people get hurt. Is it more important to try and make the play or just take the hit? It probably varies from player to player, but I think the best will always try and make the play.