Time for a debate?

OK . . . let the debate begin.
The OHL has suspended F Michael Liambas, 20, of the Erie Otters for the remainder of this season and the playoffs for a Friday night hit that left D Ben Fanelli, 16, of the Kitchener Rangers in hospital with, among other things, a fractured skull.
This means that Liambas’s junior hockey career is over.
“Players must understand they shall be held accountable for their actions,” OHL commissioner David Branch said in a statement. “We must all work towards improving the level of respect players have towards opposing players and the game in general.”
Liambas was given a match penalty for boarding on the play in question.
Fanelli, who was airlifted to a hospital in Hamilton, has been upgraded from critical condition to serious but stable.
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Here is some of what I received from one veteran hockey coach:
“I don't agree at all with the OHL suspending the guy for the rest of the season.
“We tell players all the time to protect the puck and that means your back is facing the ice and your face is looking at the wall. Then we tell guys to finish off checks -- make sure you finish off your checks or you don't play.
“We are giving guys (mixed) messages and when someone gets hurt we get out the whip and punish the guy.
“Don't like the call and really don't like the way the game is being called. Way too many guys who are struggling with the body contact of the game and maybe -- just maybe -- someone is going to see that there are too many teams in the leagues. (Fewer teams might mean) there wouldn’t be 16-year-olds against 20-year-olds.
“We all wear helmets but looking at this guy, his chin strap was way too lose -- I just don't get it!
“There are a lot of guys who I know used to go to the rink and now they don't; they don’t even watch the game on TV. They have moved on to other things.
“Maybe we should play hockey the way the girls do, then we won’t have any hits and life will go on.”
That same coach got back to me again later in the day with this:
“I just watched the hit again and again.
“The play was coming around the net, the hitter -- feet on the ground -- did not charge him -- elbows down, stick down -- and the guy that got hit just moved the puck. The hitter was in good position -- too bad for the player who got hit but, again, a 16-year-old against a 20-year-old.
“I hope the kid is OK but in my mind it was a good hit.
“We will have no contact in the game soon.”