Clean Hit Or Not? NHL Fans Debate Jakob Chychrun's Devastating Hit On Nick Cousins

The Ottawa Senators' 3-2 overtime loss to the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night at the Canadian Tire Centre was overshadowed by a devastating hit on Nick Cousins from former Senator Jakob Chychrun.

With about three minutes remaining in regulation, Cousins was trying to control the puck in his own zone when it became tangled in his skates. Focused on recovering possession, he never saw Chychrun coming.

The Capitals defenceman delivered a thunderous bodycheck that sent Cousins flying. The Senators forward absorbed the blow from Chychrun, and the back of his head then struck the glass. At that point, he appeared to lose consciousness before then landing face-first on the ice.

I've covered this league for a long time and I don't think I've ever seen another hit quite like it.

Cousins was down on the ice for a couple of minutes and slowly left the ice under his own power, but with plenty of assistance and concern from trainers and teammates.

Chychrun originally got a major, but after video review, they decided he wouldn't be penalized.

That had many Ottawa fans upset, and their frustration grew two minutes later. They had to watch Fabian Zetterlund go to the box with under a minute left in regulation in a tie game for the horrifying sin of putting the puck over the glass.

Many fans had to be thinking about the play that just left a player injured on the ice and somehow it's flipping a puck over the glass that the NHL has zero tolerance for.

Fans of all teams took to social media to argue the case. Was it a clean hit or a dirty one?

There's no question the collision was violent and hard to watch, but that doesn't necessarily make it illegal.

The important question is whether Cousins' head was the main point of contact and whether that contact was avoidable. Depending on the slow motion angle you look at, you can probably talk yourself into either verdict.

The fact of the matter is this. If a player as big as Chychrun comes to hit you, shoulder to chest, and you have no idea he's coming, it's like getting hit by a bus. Every part of your body is going to react violently to that kind of impact, including your head. That doesn't necessarily mean the head was the initial point of contact.

Chychrun doesn't have a history of being a dirty player and while it might not seem like it from the result, he appears to let up before contact. You can see from the snow flying up from his skate blades that he was putting the brakes on.

Cousins was vulnerable, struggling to regain control of the puck with his head down. But it's still a violent game and being in a vulnerable position doesn't make you ineligible to be checked.

On the other hand, the NHL has made it clear that players delivering hits have a responsibility to avoid illegal contact with an opponent's head.

It seemed like an aggressive choice by Chychrun to be pinching on that play. It's a 2-2 game with 3 minutes left as Cousins starts to break out. Based on the game circumstances, that's not the ideal time for a defenseman to make a deep pinch like that.

But Chychrun read the play and saw that the Senators had four players down near their own goal line, and realized he could jump up and pressure Cousins without taking an unnecessary risk.

The fact that no penalty was called doesn't settle the debate. The NHL's Department of Player Safety can still review hits after games and issue supplemental discipline.

Sens fans are also debating whether someone should have immediately fought Chychrun, which is the kind of thing you see all the time after much lesser hits than this one.

But what isn't debatable is the frightening result. Cousins' health is the biggest thing right now, far bigger than any hockey debate.

After the game, Travis Green provided a succinct update to reporters.

"He's not doing great."

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa