The Dirtiest Plays in Hockey Today (and the Videos to Prove Them)

The NHL is a physical sport in which players are constantly putting their bodies on the line, and sometimes players take a few liberties while they are on the ice.

Players are human beings who are high on adrenaline while they are on the ice, so in the heat of the moment, sometimes there are hits that are deemed to be borderline.

Some hits are legal and illegal by the NHL's rulebook definition, but they are still dirty hits that don't belong in the NHL.

Here are some of the dirtiest plays in hockey today, and the videos to prove them.

Hits in the slideshow will be from the past few seasons, so infamous hits like the Steve Moore incident, the Marty McSorley incident and other notable hits will not be included.

If there are hits that were egregiously overlooked, leave a comment and video link in the section below.

Brad Marchand's Hit on Sami Salo

Brad Marchand was suspended five games for this illegal low bridge on Sami Salo during the 2011-12 season. The play was completely unnecessary, and Marchand made no attempt to play the puck.

The NHL made the right call in this decision because although these types of hit are common in the league, Marchand's intent was very clear.

Brooks Orpiks Knee-on-Knee to Derek Stepan

This knee-on-knee delivered by Brooks Orpik earned him a game misconduct and a five-minute major for kneeing. The hit was a dirty play, and completely unnecessary when it occurred.

Although players can sometimes come together while battling or playing the puck, Orpik made a dangerous and dirty play that could have severely injured Derek Stepan.

Raffi Torres' Playoff Hit

Raffi Torres' hit on Marian Hossa is know well-known around the hockey community because of the impact it had. 

Torres was handed a lengthy suspension, and Hossa was knocked out of the playoffs with a concussion. This type of hit was illegal, dirty and it has no place in the NHL.

Matt Carkner Cheap Shots Brian Boyle

Rough play and fighting are huge parts of the NHL, but this was uncalled for. Matt Carkner blatantly jumps Brian Boyle and then starts pounding him into oblivion even though Boyle wasn't looking to fight.

There was clear intent to injure on this play, and Carkner should have received more than a one-game suspension.

James Wisniewski Gets the Elbow Up

James Wisniewski was suspended for three preseason games and eight regular-season games for this dirty elbow. 

Wisniewski is a player who has a lengthy history with the NHL in terms of supplemental discipline, and it was an action that was just dirty.

There is no reason why this type of hit should be in the NHL because it has nothing to do with the on-ice physicality of the game.

Zdeno Chara Lays out Pacioretty

This hit was one of the most brutal hits of the 2010-11 season, and it was unnecessary.

Zdeno Chara is so much bigger than the prone Max Pacioretty, and there was no need to drive him into the stanchion holding the glass.

Pacioretty suffered a broken vertebrae, and he missed a significant amount of time while recovering from this unnecessary hit. 

Matt Cooke's Hit on Marc Savard

When Marc Savard had just moved the puck inside the offensive zone, Matt Cooke blatantly took him out with a cheap shot. It was a vicious hit, and one that knocked out Savard. 

It was an unnecessary and disgraceful act that gave Cooke a bad reputation for late hitting. After this incident, Cooke had to reinvent himself because he was given the reputation of being a dirty player.

When you ask most fans about dirty hits, this one is the most memorable that comes to mind.

Niklas Kronwall's Questionable Hit on Dany Heatley

Niklas Kronwall was not penalized or suspended for this hit on Dany Heatley, but there has always been a debate about it.

It was a legal hit, but it can be interpreted as dirty as Kronwall leads with his shoulder and moves his arm and elbow in an upward motion as he lines up Heatley.

Kronwall plays the game hard, and if you are a fan of the Red Wings he is cheered, and if you hate the Wings, you boo him as a dirty player.

Milan Lucic Roughs Up Ryan Miller

Milan Lucic generated a lot of criticism, from particularly Buffalo Sabres fans, after this hit on Ryan Miller. As Miller tries to play the puck, Lucic completely annihilates the Sabres' netminder.

While the goalie is technically in play outside the crease, Lucic took this opportunity to deliver a dirty hit on Miller.

He could have made less contact with Miller, as most forwards often do when the goalie is out of the net.

Mark Fistric Steps Up on Nino Niederreiter

Mark Fistric was suspended for three regular-season games after he stepped up and delivered a body hit on Nino Niederreiter, and it is a hit that was considered to be dirty.

Although Fistric's hit could be construed as a borderline offense, he could have still followed through with his check, but he could have dialed it back a bit.

Niederreiter should have kept his head up more, but the league felt otherwise.

Duncan Keith Elbows Daniel Sedin

Duncan Keith's dirty elbow to the head of Henrik Sedin was a very dirty play that impacted the Vancouver Canucks' playoff run.

There was no need for this hit, and Keith should have showed a little more respect for Sedin.

Although Sedin himself had recently nailed Keith with a hard hit of his own, retaliatory attacks have no place in the NHL.

Patrick Kaleta's Headbutt

Patrick Kaleta is a scrappy player who is always in the middle of something, and this incident landed him a suspension.

There was no reason for the Buffalo Sabres' forward to headbutt a defenseless Jakub Voracek, and these incidents won't be tolerated in the future.

Shea Weber Smash

This infamous incident cast a dark cloud over the entire Stanley Cup playoffs. The reason for this cloud was because Weber was never suspended for this hit, and it was then used as a bench mark by others during the entire playoffs.

When a player had a hit less egregious than Weber's and they became suspended, there was an uproar from fans and members of the media. 

This dirty hit, although unpenalized, was one of the dirtier plays caught on tape from the past season.

Dion Phaneuf Rocks Stephane Da Costa

This hit by Dion Phaneuf was questionable enough that it started a multi-person scrum between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators. It was a nice open ice hit, but it can be considered dirty because of how Phaneuf targeted Da Costa with his shoulder and elbow.

Andy Sutton Lays out a Dirty Hit

Andy Sutton was eventually suspended eight games for this big hit, and he had been suspended for five games only a month earlier. 

Sutton clearly targeted Alexei Ponikarovsky and it was a hit that knocked him out of the game. 

Alex Ovechkin Gets Suspended for Big Hit

Alex Ovechkin was suspended for three games after this huge hit of Zbyněk Michálek and it wasn't the first time that Ovechkin was suspended.

The NHL made a huge effort to crack down on head shots during the 2011-12 season, and these types of hits were not tolerated.

Matt Cooke with Another Cheap Shot

Matt Cooke is a player who never seems to change his ways, and this cheap shot on Ryan McDonagh was uncalled for.

It was so bad that the NHL suspended him for the remainder of the season and the entire first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

No one can take Cooke at face value anymore because it seems that he is always creating controversy for himself.

Jimmy Hayes Obliterates Michal Rozsival

This hit by Jimmy Hayes of the Chicago Blackhawks was a dirty hit that earned him a five-minute penalty, and an ejection from the game. Michal Rozsival was plastered into the glass, and it was a hit that knocked him out of the game.

Daniel Carcillo Elbows Tom Gilbert

Daniel Carcillo is a scrappy player who has been in his fair share of incidents during his NHL career. This dirty hit on the Edmonton Oilers' Tom Gilbert earned him a seven-game suspension, and the suspension was used to send a message to the players in the NHL.

Although Shanahan was criticized for his heavy-handedness throughout the season, he got it right with this suspension.