25 years on, it’s time we had discussions on reverse stick hits in hockey

There have always been some head-scratching rules in our game that have made it, at times, a little more dangerous than it should be, writes Todd Williams

Going as far back as my father’s playing days, I recall stories of PC’s being able to be hit at any height, the only proviso being that the ball hadn’t been deliberately “undercut”. This was where the hitter had deliberately intended to lift the ball with a slicing type of swing aimed at the underside of the ball. But while doing this was illegal, it was perfectly OK for the ball to be smashed at head height into the goal with a normal swing. The stories from my Dad standing on the line to some of the great Australian fullbacks of yesteryear, like Brian Glencross and Jim Mason, with stick AND HAND at the ready still make me shudder.