Justin Abdelkader of the Detroit Red Wings already has an impressive collection of huge hits to his name throughout his 10-season career. Known as one of the biggest hitters in the NHL, he added another to his resume by leveling Brian Campbell of the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday night.
Campbell was in the corner trying to clear the puck out of his own zone when he whiffed on his attempt. Looking back to try and find the puck, Campbell was completely unaware of the impending danger rushing his way in the form of Abdelkader.
Fights almost always seem to happen after a big hit regardless of whether the hit was clean or not, but here Abdelkader probably knew he was going to have to drop the mitts. Trevor van Riemsdyk answered that call and did his best, but the Blackhawks may have wanted someone else to try and make Abdelkader pay.
Campbell’s head was down and his overall body position was low, but the point of contact from Abdelkader is the main problem. Abdelkader’s shoulder catches Campbell square on the chin and represents the initial point of contact for the hit. Campbell didn’t do himself any favors by forgetting that every hockey player should always have their head up, but the league is trying to remove all hits from the game which originate with contact on the head.
