In past blogs, I have talked about how I believe "finish your check" has become the bane of our game's existence because a disturbingly large percentage of players do not know the difference between a good hit and illegal one. There are far too many dangerous hits in today's game, and the equipment players wear makes it all the more dangerous.I've also talked about players have lost the ability to use their stick -- legally -- as a defensive shield when a would-be checker is incoming. Additionally, far too many players put themselves in vulnerable positions because they're never properly taught how to receive a hit.If you need evidence to point to the inability of players -- on either end of a hit -- to distinguish between a good hit and a bad hit, look at preponderance of current-day fights that are the direct aftermath of clean hits. Anything that rattles the boards heavily or, heaven forbid, happens in open ice is now a flash point for either the recipient or one his teammates to immediately seek a fight. This includes 100 percent clean hits.Legal hip check? Recipient or a teammate goes bonkers. Knock a guy down or into the boards legally in a puck battle? It could very mean a fight or a relatiatory cheap shot is upcoming in T-minus 5,4,3, 2, 1... and there it goes.The recent incident that got New Jersey's Bobby Farnham suspended for four games is the ultimate case in point. Farnham got legally checked behind the net -- a routine hit that was not even all that forceful -- in a puck battle with St. Louis defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk. Farnham blew a gasket, charging at St. Louis forward Dmtrij Jaskin and going headhunting with the puck nowhere nearby and the recipient being vulnerable and unsuspecting.In one fell swoop, Farnham showed an inability to distinguish receiving a routine hit vs. a dirty one, targeted an uninvolved and non-combative player on the other side and delivered an illegal and dangerous hit in retaliation. All this in the same month that Farnham got fined for being flagged on multiple dives this season.Herein lies another problem: Farnham is yet another one of those undersized "pest" players that more and more NHL teams have these days that gets erroneously described as a tough guy or even as an enforcer because of his penalty minute totals. I've seen some genuinely tough but undersized players in my playing and officiating days. Players like Antoine Roussel, Zac Rinaldo and Bobby Farnham don't make the grade. They scare no one but hurt the game with their recklessness.************************************************************************************************************************************************