You think Lindgren or Dumba are taking these free shots if you have a Miles Woods in the lineup?
Just thinking out loud
I watched hockey for 50 years now... and yes goofballs were always taking free shots
ill let you in on a secret... hockey players get paid minimum 700k a year to play... if you happen to be a goofball and only get in the lineup 40-50 times a year you are making in excess 10 thousand dollars a night per game
if your only way to stay in the league... is to take shots at players... you will do it.
I mean there are poor kids all over this country going to the boxing gym and letting someone hit them in the head every day... for free... just on the faint hope of possibly getting good enough to one day be paid a 1000 dollars for a match
there aint a single goofball 4th line pest/agitator/cheapshot artist alive that is going to throw away a 700 thousand dollar a year job over the fear of having some off balanced guy on skates throw 3-4 punches at him before a couple linsemen step in and break up the fight
hell... id let dave semenko and bob probert in their primes both have 1 mins of punching me in the face each... once a month... if I was taking home 50 thousand dollars each time it happened
this myth that having some fighter in your lineup might stop cheap shots has never been true in my lifetime... and I cant imagine it would ever be true in the future now that the league rules are being enforced to get fighting out of the game