TORONTO - The NHL is one step closer to instituting a new rule on blindsided hits to the head.
The league's board of governors has unanimously approved the proposed penalty for hits on an unsuspecting player where the primary point of contact is the head.
According to a league statement Monday, the timing and details of implementation are being worked on by the NHL's hockey operations department and representatives from the National Hockey League Players' Association.
The NHL's general managers first proposed the rule earlier this month.
Florida Panthers forward David Booth missed 45 games this season after getting hammered by Philadelphia Flyers captain Mike Richards -- a play that was legal at the time, but will no longer be tolerated under the new system.
On Wednesday morning, Booth indicated that he thought change was coming.
"There's been a lot of incidents this year," he said. "I think they've got to take a step. It's been a thing that's been talked about a lot so I think there's going to be some progress made."
The new rule also needs approval from the 10-man competition committee, which is comprised of five players, four general managers and Philadelphia Flyers owner Ed Snider. There was no immediate word whether that had happened.
