There's no way DOPS could sterilize hockey. Hitting has and always be apart of the sport and that's not going to stop because players are disciplined tougher now than in the past . Players are bigger, stronger and faster than they were 5, 10, 20 years ago and injuries are going to happen but the head injuries are the injuries that need to be taken out of the game and I suspect that is what DOPS is trying to eliminate. NHL, AHL hockey has not been sterilized because they discipline tougher now than in the past and I don't see any evidence that other sports have become boring . Physicality will always be part of hockey
So far this season, DOPS have increased the automatic game ban on 44% of all incidents they reviewed. If you look at incidents where head injury was a factor this raises to 65%, and 75% if you just look at just cases reviewed by the new DOPS. The numbers support a definite stamp down on head injuries.
As for my opinion, this was the right call. The DOPS this week sent a message; they were firm on what they believe should and should not be a part of the sport both in the punishments they dished out and the words they chose (none were minced for Deveaux, for example). There's a culture in the elite league that they are trying to change, and they won't be successful in doing so unless they come down hard on these things. While our concussion protocol may not have been whiter than white, that's the game we and every other team have been forced to play. It's been too easy to get away with dishing out head injuries so they've been more prevalent, and the 'luxury' of giving our players as basic a medical requirement as rest has fallen by the wayside.
You send a message, you change the attitude; you get a better sport where players aren't worried for their own health, and the team that wins isn't the one that's best at lamping people behind the ref's back. There might be the odd blunder along the way, such as this "automatic" review, but I'd consider it a small price to pay.