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This will certainly add to the ongoing icing debate in the NHL.
Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Joni Pitkanen was injured -- rather seriously, it appeared -- late in the second period of Tuesday's game against the Washington Capitals when he was involved in a race for the puck with Troy Brouwer on what turned out to be an icing call.
It's a play that hybrid icing could have avoided (and no-touch icing certainly would have avoided).
The NHL and NHLPA have to figure out a way to do something about this, whether it's some sort of hybrid icing or complete no-touch icing. No rule change is going to eliminate all risk from the game and make it completely safe, but if you can reduce the number of injuries that are avoidable (like this one), then you have to find a way to make it happen.
Pitkanen is one of Carolina's top defensemen and plays more than 23 minutes per night, a number that is second on the team only to Justin Faulk.
He has one goal to go with eight assists this season.
