There were some seriously bone-shattering hits in the major US sports this year, so here are a few of the best
From broken jaws to WWE-style wrestling moves, the NFL and the NHL provide no small amount of action, a lot of which comes from the spectacular nature of the big hits that they deliver. While the culture is changing and awareness of injuries, in particular concussion, has become part of the agenda, there are still plenty of high impact collisions on the ice and on the field every week, so here are a few of the biggest ones that stuck out in our minds from this year.
Brayden Schenn gets cleaned out
This one was only a few weeks ago, so it appears right at the top of our list. This is exactly the type of hit the NHL are trying to take out of the game, and as you can see from the difficulty that Brayden Schenn is having in even standing up again, it’s not hard to understand why.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89Ldu2k0oKU
Mike Lundin gets destroyed
This particular hit from Harry Zolnierczyk was all sorts of illegal, and is not only worthy of a penalty, but also an arrest.
Kevin Huber on the wrong end of a blindside hit
This massive hit not only blindsided Kevin Huber, the Bengals punter, but it also left him with a broken jaw. He must have eaten his Christmas dinner through a straw…
Steve Smith cleans out the secondary
This game was pretty physical from the off, and after linebacker Chad Greenway went in pursuit of a carry from DeAngelo Williams, Steve Smith stepped in to issue a pretty big hit.
Pat McAfee shows that punters can tackle
It has often been said that “you don’t want your punter trying to tackle an athlete”. Enter Pat McAfee with this hit, which makes the case quite well that he doesn’t believe that statement. He was also “randomly” selected for a drug test just a few days later. What a coincidence…
William Moore delivers a WWE-style spinebuster
The Atlanta Falcons safety delivered one of the most unique and the biggest hits of the year with this number, and thanks to the internet we can view it in all its glory, complete with good ol’ JR on commentary. BY GAAWWWWWD ALMIGHTY!
Lars Eller gets a face full of blood
Eric Gryba absolutely levels Lars Eller, and after this hit, the devastation is pretty clear to see. One of the reasons they want to stop hits like these in ice hockey is the after effects, and Eller was quite clearly badly hurt afterwards. This one is not for the squeamish as there was a lot of blood on the ice as a result of his being cleaned out.
The obligatory comedy hit
There’s always one hit in the year that makes us laugh a little bit because of something funny that happens during it, and this is the perfect example. Stephen Gionta ends up in the opposition bench after a pretty big hit, but they don’t want him there either, and dump him out the other side and back on to the ice with a helpful shove in the back.
