I've seen a number of slashing penalties called around the league simply due to the fact that the player with the puck drops his stick.  I wonder if players are developing the habit of just dropping the stick once he feels even the slightest contact from his opponent?  This seems like an opportunity for significant embellishment and should be addressed by the league. Does anyone feel this issue has gotten worse recently or has it always been this way? 

   61.1 Slashing - Slashing is the act of a player swinging his stick at an opponent, whether contact is made or not. Non-aggressive stick contact to the pant or front of the shin pads, should not be penalized as slashing. Any forceful or powerful chop with the stick on an opponent’s body, the opponent’s stick, or on or near the opponent’s hands that, in the judgment of the Referee, is not an attempt to play the puck, shall be penalized as slashing.

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I'd say the biggest thing is that the standard for what constitutes a slash has to be higher than just a guy losing his stick.  Maybe it has nothing to do with that at all.

I've always thought about stick battles as very similar to establishing body position on the boards or in front.  You should be able to tie up a guy's stick as long as it's with your stick - by definition, that would mean having your stick on the puck side of his stick.  You should be able to hit the opponent's stick with your stick in an effort to retrieve the puck, just as you can play the body with your body to knock the puck loose.  A slashing penalty for stick contact should probably be reserved for dangerous stick plays that may not have hit a player, but that would have done some real damage if they had - two handers, careless lifts (the kind we've seen end up in a guy's eye) etc.  It would be harder to fake.

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