I do agree with you in that the only way to fully eliminate the injury potential is to do away with it (instant whistle). I think hybrid icing is a good *first step* in the right direction. It will eliminate a lot of the injury potential situations – but not all. The ones that really need to go are the ones where the defending player clearly has the advantage, and the forechecking player knows he will not get the puck, but still takes a run at the defender.

I do however, think a good clean race for the puck can be a healthy aspect of the game – albeit with some risk. I’d hate to see immediate icing because I don’t think the offensive team should be penalized if they miss a pass, but still have a clear offensive advantage.

It will definitely be interesting to see how this all plays out. I’m hoping the league continues its progress in evaluating rules and trying new things out gradually through camps like the one in Toronto.

If the end board collision injury possiblities is the main concern the only way to actually prevent that would be to do away with touch icing all together. (which i am not in favor of at all, it really keeps the game moving)