Matt Cooke's hit on Marc Savard's head took place one day before the NHL's general managers began their annual meetings in Florida, and it was expected to provide the impetus to bring about changes in the rules about such hits.
The first step toward change may be on the way, as TSN's Darren Dreger reported via Twitter that the committee assigned to checking rules will "submit a proposal … that includes an additional penalty for shoulder to the head."
That seems to be in response to the Cooke hit on Savard, as it was unclear on replay whether it was Cooke's elbow, arm or shoulder that made the heaviest contact to Savard's head. The current rules don't strictly forbid a shoulder-to-head hit.
The hit in question has been thoroughly debated as to whether or not Cooke extended his elbow to make contact with Savard. The proposed change in rules would eliminate the need to differentiate.
