If the other team has a player you want out of the game, it's strategically wise to hack at him or her. Why? Because you either injure them and get them out of the game or they sn ap and get sent to the penalty box. The use of illegitimate tactics and violence are considered technical skills for achieving team success and are taught accordingly. The difference between legal and illegal acts is blurred at a very early age even in non-competitive levels of hockey. At present, it is an endemic and ritualized blot on the reputation of the North American game.