Just where is that line of violence?
The NHL always has drawn a line concerning violence.
No assault rifles allowed on the ice. No chemical agents. No nuclear weapons.
Actually, all weapons of mass destruction must be checked at the door.
Otherwise, as Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said after practice Saturday, "Hitting is a great part of our game. I like big hits and physical play."
Remember, though, that this is a league that has penalties for roughing, fighting, slashing, cross checking and a variety of other transgressions.
Heck, even fair play is dangerous. The Hawks' Adam Burish nearly had his throat cut by an inadvertent skate recently.
This weekend another line of propriety was magnified after the Red Wings' Niklas Kronwall drove the Hawks' Martin Havlat into dreamland.
As far as the Hawks are concerned, that line generally is at a player's neck and specifically was at Havlat's. Anything above it represents a no-no.
The day after the night before, Kronwall's hit remained a contentious topic as the Hawks and the Wings prepared for Sunday afternoon's Game 4 of the Western Conference finals.
Havlat's condition was referred to as day to day with a serious case of grogginess that bordered on, if not across, being a concussion.
Of course, another line is drawn down the middle of how the Wings felt about the blow Kronwall inflicted and how the Hawks felt about the one Havlat received.
The Hawks still thought the play was dirty. The Wings still thought it was hockey. The Hawks still thought the NHL should suspend Kronwall. The Wings still didn't.
"In my opinion it was absolutely the wrong call," Wings coach Mike Babcock said of the penalties to Kronwall.
For the record, almost to a man the commentators working the game for the Versus cable channel believed the play was vicious but not even worth a penalty, much less Kronwall getting the game misconduct he was assessed.
The Hawks' argument is that Havlat didn't have the puck, though it was at his feet, and that Kronwall went for the head of an exposed player, which is bad form.
Defenseman Brian Campbell was the most outspoken Hawk both Friday night and Saturday afternoon.
"It was an illegal hit all around," Campbell said. "(Kronwall) was coming in jumping, exploding upward into (Havlat's) head. That isn't part of the game."
As far as Campbell is concerned, this wasn't the first time Kronwall delivered a blow up high like this.
"Every time he hits he jumps in the air," Campbell said. "He's done it in the playoffs before. He does it all the time. (On replays) you can see how his forearm is coming up, his hands are coming up, he's lunging into the guy."
The NHL has become sensitive to head shots, which probably is why Kronwall was penalized at all for the play.
"Players want head shots eliminated," Campbell reiterated. "It happens too often."
For now it'll be up to game officials to police the practice. The Hawks can't afford to invoke vigilante justice in a playoff game, to take penalties and to provide the Wings' vaunted power play with opportunities.
In other words, the Hawks can't afford to cross that line at this time of the year.
mimrem@dailyherald.com