Peace and harmony in the Middle East seems a more likely goal than widespread agreement on the role of fighting in hockey.
The recent death of Don Sanderson has the usual hardliners dusting off their usual arguments.
Not much new in any of it – though GlobeandMail.com offered fresh perspective with a good series of articles on the evolution of hockey culture.
But while the fighting debate rages over issues of violence, player safety, honor among warriors, and the rest of it, nobody mentions the smaller, sadder truth about hockey fights.
Hockey fights are boring. Dead boring.
Most are awkward, uneventful wrestling matches, offering little punch in any sense of the word.
Two guys tugging and grappling, throwing a few off-target haymakers, and tumbling to the ice like toddlers. That’s anyone’s idea of a “good fight”? UFC it ain’t.
Worst of all is the aftermath, the lingering delay while referees confer, sticks and gloves are gathered and sorted, and the arena DJ assaults us with a lengthy blast of AC/DC or the Village People.
The occasional tragedy and all-too-frequent injury aside, the most convincing case against hockey fights can be summed up in three words: Stop the tedium.
(Photo: Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Comments
I have to strongly disagree with you Jamie. People don’t get up to get popcorn during a fight.
I agree with you. And its not just hockey fights. Baseball fights are boring too! And it does nothing but bring bad feelings between the 2 teams that can linger. I like watching hockey when they actually PLAY hockey!
I think hockey fights are hillarious!! Its awesome to watch grown men make a fool of them selves in public!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If fighting wasn’t allowed do you think people like Gretzky would have been able to amass all those points. He had goons protecting him his whole career. Just ask McSorley What his role was. If there wasn’t a price to pay the players would have given cheap shots every time Gretzky touched the puck. Fighting is a way to keep players honest.
If you do not get why there is fighting in Hockey you 1) have never played hockey 2) You should not be writting about hockey!
Jamie,
I would hazard a guess that you never played hockey at top tier level, college or pro, nor been behind a bench, especially as a coach. Some fights are personal vendettas that hurt a team, but that is up to the coach to deal with. But ultimately, fights are an elegant way of dealing with issues on the ice. Seldom does the commissioner and some group of lawyers need to get involved. The issue is handled then and there. Be it a cheap shot to your All Star or running your goalie. It gets handled then and there.
I am not in favor of fighting for fighting sake, but a player gets slashed or cross checked and the ref misses it, as ref often do, the team can back up their player. Sometimes it’s taking care of your goal scorer and looking for that win and sometimes it is simply taking care of your own.
George Plimpton noted that when the Celtics Basketball team came to town, 12 cabs would take the 12 players to hotel or where ever the player was headed, but when the Bruins came to town they hung together as team. What has been great with the hockey teams I have been associated with either as a player or coach, they were teams through and through. They watch each others backs on and off the ice.
My own young kids in travel hockey almost never have an issue at school. First, they have dealt with the physicality of hockey and so don’t have any fear about walking down the halls and when something does come up they can usually deal with it themselves and when it becomes more then that, even old teammates from 5 years before will watch their back, as happened to my oldest kid.
So Jamie, if all you see is fighting that’s too bad. Maybe you can get behind the bench for a season for a AA or AAA team that plays for the marbles and watch what happens when game-in and game-out teams are battling for those two points and how those players will play for each other and fight for each other and toe the line for each other.
If you haven’t experienced that, make an effort to be there and tell me after a season if you feel the same way.
Ed
Go write for Better Home and Garden, and stop writing about hockey…you obviously don’t have a clue
look its rare that somebody dies from hockey
fight.are we going to stop taking the plane
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I hate how anyone can just write anything they would like to express, because then, we get retards like this guy trying to say hockey fighting is boring, when he doesn’t know a single thing about hockey fights. First of all if you played hockey you would very easily realise why there are fights. Unlike other sports you can’t just run your mouth, or do something dirty without taking punishment. Also hockey fights take amazing skill, try fighting on a patch of ice on a blade 1/8 of an inch thick, and then write about hockey fights. Ignorant, very ignorant. And Alexis, your a flat out dumb bitch, grown men making fools of themselves, if you were paid 2 million dollars a year you would do much much more then make a fool of your self in public. Think first then write next time please.
I agree with the pro-fights comments and have followed it in the minors here in D/FW, and after the Stars arrived here in Dallas in 93′. I was born in Chi-town and an avid Hawks fan before that in the days of Al Secord, Bob Probert(one of the best pound-for-pound fighters ever), etc.
Though I didn’t play hockey(didn’t have it down here at the time I was growing up), I played many other sports and only a pretty boy wimp like this dude would proclaim it “silly” and “a waste of time”.
You look like a wimp, Jamey. And agree with the guy above who said Alexis needs to get a grip and “step off”. Some dumb ditz like you wouldn’t know a real hockey game if it hit you in your ugly mug.
A friend of mine has a bet going with another friend of mine,that reasons to stop a hockey fight is the fact, chemicals in the ice are very harmful if exposed to the skin. The other reason is if the ice gets cracked it turns into a dangerous shard which could seriously hurt someone if they landed on it. I feel the reason why they should be stopped is because it’s stupid and after awhile, “boring!”
This is by far the most pointless article I have ever read. Notice how you had to make your paragraphs like 1 sentence long? Cuz you cant make a good point as why hockey fights are bad. Clearly you have something wrong with you. Hockey is hockey, if you wanna watch bowling then watch bowling but don’t try to get involved with hockey fights because you have no idea what you are talking about. Then again, we cant expect much out of a guy whose name is Jamie….