Like sending a letter in the mail, or using a typewriter, or smoking inside – the hip check is passé in hockey.
Now that the clean, glorious hip check is extremely rare, it's a precious thing – deserving of our considered appreciation.
Take this perfect Paul Martin hip check on Chicago Blackhawks defenseman David Rundblad from Wednesday night, for example:
The hit is huge, the defensive impact is immediate and the crowd's reaction is rapturous. Doesn't get any better.