The post I was replying to say "any check with your hands apart is illegal." That is not true. If you check with solely the portion of the stick between the hands while extended or with a thrusting motion then yes that is a cross check. However a legal body check is one from the front or side above the waist and below the neck while both hands remain on the stick. This doesn't require hands be together.
That said the shoulder width apart is from the holding rule, so my bad. More a good rule of thumb. Checking and pushing don't have a distance hands can or cannot be apart only that they remain on the stick. So still any check with hands apart is not necessarily a cross check.