Where did the hip check go, and why?

[Samsquanch]

I posted in another thread about a suspension for an illegal check to the head (Karlssons), and it got me thinking about what happened to one of the most exciting types of hits in hockey, and why its so rare now; the good old hip check.

Where did they go, and why?

You need to hit through a players body in today's NHL Nearly every suspendable hit Ive seen comes when a player clips another player up high, instead of going through the guy's center of gravity. Its pretty easy to notice the difference.

But players are good at covering that main COG point on their chest with their own heads, and its done simply by leaning forward while their in full stride. And thats a problem and the real fear I think (that hitting eventually goes away because guys start to feel immune if they have the after burners on, and players feel scared to hit).

But there is a legal, effective and easy way to approach this new reality for the bone crunchers of the NHL, imo. Hip checks, and even the PK Subban style backwards hit are the best way to side swipe a fast moving player in today's NHL

You run way less risk of appearing to target a players head, even one thats leaning fully forward. And you inevitably hit more of the body and COG, as opposed to whatever your shoulder happens to catch at the moment of impact..

Just gotta keep your skates on the ice and your legs straight (no low bridges), and your in the clear. A little riskier perhaps from a defensive standpoint, and maybe thats the real answer here, but I think its something that needs to be reintroduced in light of the head shot dilemma that doesnt seem like it will be going away anytime soon.

 

[WolfgangPuck]

I like the good old hip check too,
Emelin when he was in the league dished out some good ones.

 

[cliffclaven]

Lol, it went where every other hit went. Out of the game. Any hip check would have a 10 page thread on whether it was a low bridge or late or interference and how long the suspension should be because the hittee got a hangnail.

 

[Rubi]

It was replaced with the head check. You can't really hurt someone as badly with a hip check as compared to the good ol' head shot.

Players have a lot less respect for each other these days in comparison to the past. Sad.

 

[cliffclaven]

It was replaced with the head check. You can't really hurt someone as badly with a hip check as compared to the good ol' head shot.

Players have a lot less respect for each other these days in comparison to the past. Sad.

Yeah, because when is the last time you saw a Stevens type hit to the head? All hits have been replaced by stick checks and ‘systems’. It’s a joke.

 

[txpd]

Hip check is a really risky play. They are easy to miss and the consequences for missing exteme. Coaches don't want defensmen using that hit. That's where it went

 

[Rubi]

Hip check is a really risky play. They are easy to miss and the consequences for missing exteme. Coaches don't want defensmen using that hit. That's where it went

I would also say that players are just too fast now which doesn't give the checker alot of time to set up and execute a hip check. More than likely the checker is going to end up with his ass hanging out while the checkee skates around him.

 

[KCC]

The game is so fast that hip checks are a huge liability now if you miss. lol

 

[Revelation]

Dmitry Orlov stole them for his own personal use

 

[Sean Garrity]

The league needs more Kronwall hits, which is a similar hit to the hip check. If implemented correctly, it's a pretty low risk play.

 

[trick9]

They aren't all gone.

 

[Alwalys]

Hip check is a really risky play. They are easy to miss and the consequences for missing exteme. Coaches don't want defensmen using that hit. That's where it went

this

burns still tries them fairly often and gets burnt

 

[VanIsle]

Like the hit to a defenseless receiver, they are phasing it out of the league.

 

[Charlie Conway]

Agreed that it's just too risky of a move in the north-south style of hockey today. Add in faster, more agile players, and they those hits are harder to line up.

Even if you connect, you're pulled out of the play. If you miss, then you're really out.

 

[JPeeper]

They are thrown very rarely.

Hanifin threw one a couple of games ago, not a massive one, more of just using his body to squeeze the guy out on the boards, but it was still a hip check.

Michael Stone tries to throw them every game and gets burned literally every time he does it. Misses by about 4 feet every time.

 

[Beville]

Last I remember seeing was Marc Methot when he was still a Sen...

 

[Max McBolt]

Another aspect could be the most assured retaliation from the other team, and the need to answer for a spectacular hit that embarrassed the adversary.

I've always despised this mentality of dirty retaliation or fighting an adversary as an answer to a hard clean hit.

If you can't take a hard clean hit, don't play hockey.
If you want to retaliate and break even from a hard clean hit, go ahead and dish another hard clean hit.

Unfortunately, more often than not, a momentum clean hit game changer like a hip check will have a direct unwarranted, non-clean retaliation.

The Boston Bruins in the Lucic era are a perfect example of that.
That guy can't take a clean hit without losing it's head.

 

[Kyndig]

They aren't all gone.

Looks more like a clip than a hip check in that one.

Either way its a good example of why its not used even though it worked this time. For one he stops entirely to throw the hit making him a pylon and two if they dump the puck past him there's a decent chance of it being interference. It's far easier and to just keep someone in front of you with your stick in their shooting lanes.

 

[grentthealien]

Hip check is a really risky play. They are easy to miss and the consequences for missing exteme. Coaches don't want defensmen using that hit. That's where it went

This^ I remember Dan Hamhuis who used to do hip checks often injuring himself and missing the rest of the 2011 cup finals. I believe it was a hip check on Lucic that did him in.

 

[ole ole]

They aren't all gone.

That's not a hip check.

 

[Eddy Punch Clock]

This^ I remember Dan Hamhuis who used to do hip checks often injuring himself and missing the rest of the 2011 cup finals. I believe it was a hip check on Lucic that did him in.

We were so thin on D by that time... that hipcheck in the finals was a huge contributing factor in us not winning the Stanley Cup.

 

[Sabresruletheschool]

Ristolainen will throw one every now and again.

 

[txpd]

They aren't all gone.

Beautiful

 

[txpd]

Looks more like a clip than a hip check in that one.

Either way its a good example of why its not used even though it worked this time. For one he stops entirely to throw the hit making him a pylon and two if they dump the puck past him there's a decent chance of it being interference. It's far easier and to just keep someone in front of you with your stick in their shooting lanes.

Not a clip he ran straight over the top of Orlov. The hip didn't hit him

 

[DickSmehlik]

I will also blame the refs for the reason we are not seeing as many, for I have seen many a legal hip check called a tripping or interference penalty.

I think refs see a big hit and their instinct is to automatically call a penalty.