The question has reared its head again, after that awful fight last night between the Toronto Maple Leafs' Frazer McLaren and Ottawa's David Dziurzynski, where Dziurzynski was knocked out cold.
I was at the game (a wonderful Valentines/birthday gift from my wife), and will never forget seeing Dziurzynski's lifeless body drop to the ice. It was one horrific moment after another - when he was knocked out by the punch, when he seemingly fell face first into the ice (at least from where I was sitting), when he could only get off the ice with the help of teammates (and barely at that), and when the crowd couldn't get enough of it all.
The punch alone was enough for me to say that fighting has no place in hockey. To clarify, I am a HUGE hockey fan, and I used to love a good fight...but my perspective has changed in the last few years and was solidified yesterday. Hockey is a game of intensity, finesse, speed, skill, hands, and vision. Fighting belongs in a different arena. If you want fighting, watch boxing, wrestling, or UFC - that's their express purpose. But hockey's purpose is to try to get a puck into the opposing team's net. How does fighting figure into that? Basketball, soccer, and football all have similar structures - score on the other team - but none of them have fighting. Why hockey?
I'm all for intensity. I want to see the game played hard, and that intensity can bring some aggression. That's fine, but know the line. Fighting is too far. Dziurzynski has a concussion, which is in essence a brain injury. What's most frustrating is that it was so unnecessary. This concussion could affect him for the rest of his life. In fact, it could have even killed him if it was bad enough. How is that "entertainment" when my wife and I just want to watch a hockey game? Or when I take my kids to a game in the future? I don't want them seeing that.
The other thing that made me sick to my stomach yesterday was the crowd's reaction. Watching replays of the fight, you hear a hush come over the crowd...but not from where I was sitting. From my seat, I heard a huge roar when Dziurzynski was knocked out. Thousands started cheering "Go Leafs Go" as he was lying on the ice. The cheering continued as he was helped off the ice.
Absolutely classless.
And then the worst part - when it was all over, everyone sat down again, completely oblivious to the fact that someone in the building just suffered brain damage. People went back to laughing, joking, enjoying their beer and food, and taking pictures. Most did not give a second thought to what just happened. Out of sight, out of mind.
Perhaps most importantly though, is the message we're sending the kids. Go ahead, fight! It's okay, it's part of the game! No it's not. The game is Canada's past-time, to be played on frozen lakes and rivers and ice-cold arenas. It's to be played with friends who grab a stick and hit the ice to shoot the puck around.
Want to play with intensity? Dig into the corners, skate hard, block shots, master puck control. But don't hit another guy in the face. That has nothing to do with hockey.
I was at the game (a wonderful Valentines/birthday gift from my wife), and will never forget seeing Dziurzynski's lifeless body drop to the ice. It was one horrific moment after another - when he was knocked out by the punch, when he seemingly fell face first into the ice (at least from where I was sitting), when he could only get off the ice with the help of teammates (and barely at that), and when the crowd couldn't get enough of it all.
The punch alone was enough for me to say that fighting has no place in hockey. To clarify, I am a HUGE hockey fan, and I used to love a good fight...but my perspective has changed in the last few years and was solidified yesterday. Hockey is a game of intensity, finesse, speed, skill, hands, and vision. Fighting belongs in a different arena. If you want fighting, watch boxing, wrestling, or UFC - that's their express purpose. But hockey's purpose is to try to get a puck into the opposing team's net. How does fighting figure into that? Basketball, soccer, and football all have similar structures - score on the other team - but none of them have fighting. Why hockey?
I'm all for intensity. I want to see the game played hard, and that intensity can bring some aggression. That's fine, but know the line. Fighting is too far. Dziurzynski has a concussion, which is in essence a brain injury. What's most frustrating is that it was so unnecessary. This concussion could affect him for the rest of his life. In fact, it could have even killed him if it was bad enough. How is that "entertainment" when my wife and I just want to watch a hockey game? Or when I take my kids to a game in the future? I don't want them seeing that.
The other thing that made me sick to my stomach yesterday was the crowd's reaction. Watching replays of the fight, you hear a hush come over the crowd...but not from where I was sitting. From my seat, I heard a huge roar when Dziurzynski was knocked out. Thousands started cheering "Go Leafs Go" as he was lying on the ice. The cheering continued as he was helped off the ice.
Absolutely classless.
And then the worst part - when it was all over, everyone sat down again, completely oblivious to the fact that someone in the building just suffered brain damage. People went back to laughing, joking, enjoying their beer and food, and taking pictures. Most did not give a second thought to what just happened. Out of sight, out of mind.
Perhaps most importantly though, is the message we're sending the kids. Go ahead, fight! It's okay, it's part of the game! No it's not. The game is Canada's past-time, to be played on frozen lakes and rivers and ice-cold arenas. It's to be played with friends who grab a stick and hit the ice to shoot the puck around.
Want to play with intensity? Dig into the corners, skate hard, block shots, master puck control. But don't hit another guy in the face. That has nothing to do with hockey.
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