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Q: It goes without saying that the hit by Matt Cooke on Marc Savard was extremely punishing. Why then, do players around the league get away with wearing their helmets in a loose and ill-fitting manner? If the players are required to wear a helmet, shouldn't it be required to be worn properly?

George Black, Tauranga, New Zealand

MOLINARI: Yes, players should have their helmets strapped securely to their heads. A helmet that's free to flop around on a player's skull doesn't provide the protection it is designed to give, just as a mouth guard isn't going to be effective if a guy uses it as something to chew on rather than keeping it in its proper position.

And it really shouldn't take a rule to force players to use protective equipment the way it was intended. One would think that a desire to minimize the possbilitiy of being severely injured while competing in a physical, occasionally violent, sport would be sufficient motivation to do that.

With all of that established, however, to even hint that Savard is in any way responsible for the injury he sustained when Cooke blindsided him and drove either his left shoulder or upper arm into the right side of Savard's head is flat-out wrong. Hard hits are part of the game; shots to the head should not be.

That they are not explicitly prohibited -- at least for the moment -- isn't the point. Players should respect their peers, and the game, enough that everything above the shoulders is of-limits when throwing a check. No excuses, no exceptions.

There are, unfortunately, going to be times when a player delivers a blow to an opponent's head, even though he had absolutely no intention of doing so. This is a sport in which players are constantly in motion, often at high speeds, and it's not hard to understand how a shoulder aimed for someone's chest or shoulder could end up getting him in the jaw or temple.

But while hockey is no more immune to accidents than any other aspect of life, that simply gives players extra responsibility for exercising good judgment before delivering a questionable hit. Yes, those decisions can be tough to make in a split-second -- a player has to be forgiven for wondering what happens if he backs off, and the guy he was about to flatten scores a goal -- but NHL players are elite athletes and being able to react and adjust as plays unfold is part of their job description.

Q: Has a team ever won the Stanley Cup when its goaltending tandem did not post a single shutout during the regular season?

Steve McGuire, Scott

MOLINARI: According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it has been done four times, albeit only twice since 1943-44, which is considered the start of the NHL's modern era.

Edmonton did it in 1986-87 and the New York Islanders did it in 1981-82.

The Penguins, it should be noted, are the only NHL team without a shutout this season in the wake of Carolina's 4-0 victory against Atlanta Sunday.

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