Violence in Hockey
Apr 20, 2004 at 5:14 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 13

ricola_pak

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While watching the Playoffs lately (I don't usually watch hockey), I was again "turned-off" by the prospect of seeing 2 players fighting each other in a game of hockey.

If they don't fight, they tend to push each other around into the glass or somewhere down on the ice.

My original thought was that this kinda violence should not be promoted into a Professional game because, I believe, it teaches people that when you aren't as good as your opponents, you can just go out and hit them.

But when my hardcore hockey fan heard this, he (knowing that I'm a hardcore football/soccer fan) asked me how it is so ironic that a non-violent sport like soccer creates hooligans and fans killing each other, whilst you don't tend to see hockey fans doing that. He also added that I'm a sissy but let's not get into that.

What do you guys think?

I think this is a bit like saying promoting pornography reduces the number of rapes... now I'm not too sure how moral this is even if it "works".

Let me just lastly add that I'm all for the "full-contactness" of sports like American football or rugby because although those guys like to ram each other around a lot, they don't do it with revenge or rage in their heads (at least they don't look like it).
 
Apr 20, 2004 at 5:36 PM Post #2 of 13
Violence in hockey is a bit overstated I think. There are occasional incidents like in Vancouver this year where anger took over and there was an injury. Teams cannot afford to have goons on the squad anymore. The leagues are too competitive and a player that can only fight is a detriment. I think you would be surprised at what goes on in professional football. Compared to other sports serious injuries in hockey are also far less. It is also even more rare to see a fight during the playoffs where each penalty you take may spell the end of the season for your team.
 
Apr 20, 2004 at 6:24 PM Post #3 of 13
Player Hockey violence is seemingly very different from other sports. If two "combatants" are going at it, so long as they are both standing, the ice causes the two's throws to have little substance (equal and opposite reactions tend to nullify each other). Once a person is on the floor, though, the ice no longer is a factor and real damage can be done. This is why players are separated when they are no longer standing.

Crashing someone against the boards is considered "pushing" them off the puck. Malicious intentional pre-mediated injury is not something which is tolerated (gooning). One is trying to cut someone's career short.

I liken hockey fighting to stags bumping horns. Hockey players should just be dogs chasing the rabbit at the dog races. except they are chasing a puck.

Just about any sport can be violent. Rugby and soccer can be very brutal. Why? Because there is no protective equipement used. Football can be very violent, yet it is tolerated because it is moderated by referees.

Personally, I think that Wrestling promotes a senseless "go after them at all cost" mentality, and is thus much more violent than hockey. Now, if we start to talk about "slashing" ...

If you wish to see spectator violence, go see a Yankee vs. Red Sock game in the Bronx.
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Rent the movie, "Slapshot" today.
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Then compare it to the Boston Bruins vs. Montreal championship games where Cheevers was given a standing ovation by the Montreal faithful.
 
Apr 20, 2004 at 6:43 PM Post #4 of 13
I'm not a fan of fighting in hockey in the least, but more because it ruins the flow of the game. There is nothing more exciting to me than watch two great teams skating back and forth from end to end. When you get fights in there it just slows the whole game down.
 
Apr 20, 2004 at 9:25 PM Post #6 of 13
I don't mind players pushing eachother around a bit, especially when I playing myself. I think violence is okay, if it done the right way, like in fx basketball, where the rules dertermines who get the ball when this happen and when that happen. I've never been a big hocky fan myself, I kindda like sport where you use own body, rather then some instrument.

Soccer can be pretty violent too, and I you want to, you can really hurt other players.... I've played defence
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I don't think violence necessary make the game less fun... at least not when playing.
 
Apr 20, 2004 at 10:22 PM Post #7 of 13
A fact that you will have a hard time believing:

At the youth level (up to 18) hockey is the safest sport for kids. My son played in travel leagues and HS from 6 until he was 18. The only serious injury occurred in a Spring league game. In the Spring they made the best teams play up one level because there was no real competition for them within their age group. He was 12 playing against 14 year olds and dislocated his shoulder. Other than that he was never really injured in 12 years of playing. Try and say that about any of the other major sports.

To get an idea how hard it is to play hockey try and stickhandle a tennis ball on concrete without looking at it, only by feel. Now throw in ice and skates. Now if you want a real test do it all while skating backward.

Nothing to do with fighting but sort of on topic.
 
Apr 20, 2004 at 10:33 PM Post #8 of 13
Like all good Finns, my husband played hockey in HS, and he agreed with the equal and opposite reaction thing.... it's tough for a punch to have the kind of impact it would in "real life", but then again he's the only male in Finland that only occassionally checks the scores during a Finland-Sweden game, and is only mildly curious if a Helsinki team makes it to the league finals or not.

But then when we got a hockey team in Charleston, dad came home from a game, complaining that he went to a fight and a hockey game broke out. As a baseball player, he didn't much care for the violence, and doesn't care for it in football either, come to think of it.
 
Apr 21, 2004 at 12:39 AM Post #9 of 13
Thanks for the replies. But I think we have gone off topic a bit, or maybe I didn't clearly convey my question:

Does having violence in a sport (whether it is fighting, violently pushing, slashing, high-sticking etc. even in soccer or other sports) affect its spectators?

I know in reality NHL players don't fight THAT much, but when they do, sometimes they only get a couple of minutes of penalty. Whereas in soccer or NBA, players get sent off right away.

We all love to watch fights, but should it be allowed in a Professional sport, rather in some movies?
 
Apr 21, 2004 at 4:53 AM Post #10 of 13
we all don't watch loving fights, except in a fighting sport like the ufc. my dad an i had season tickets to a local hockey team for years and after awhile the fighting just lengthens the game to the point of boredom. also, you can get away with slugging it out on a ice rink but where could you get away with that in real life? sports has become out of control in my book, baseball will be a hockey game in a few years, fight become more numerous every year from what i've seen, not to mention basketball.
 
Apr 21, 2004 at 1:14 PM Post #12 of 13
Quote:

Originally Posted by ricola_pak
While watching the Playoffs lately (I don't usually watch hockey), I was again "turned-off" by the prospect of seeing 2 players fighting each other in a game of hockey.

If they don't fight, they tend to push each other around into the glass or somewhere down on the ice.

My original thought was that this kinda violence should not be promoted into a Professional game because, I believe, it teaches people that when you aren't as good as your opponents, you can just go out and hit them.

But when my hardcore hockey fan heard this, he (knowing that I'm a hardcore football/soccer fan) asked me how it is so ironic that a non-violent sport like soccer creates hooligans and fans killing each other, whilst you don't tend to see hockey fans doing that. He also added that I'm a sissy but let's not get into that.

What do you guys think?

I think this is a bit like saying promoting pornography reduces the number of rapes... now I'm not too sure how moral this is even if it "works".

Let me just lastly add that I'm all for the "full-contactness" of sports like American football or rugby because although those guys like to ram each other around a lot, they don't do it with revenge or rage in their heads (at least they don't look like it).



Same thing with rugby, which I played in my younger years. Never a fight amongst spectators as the rough stuf was done on the pitch and the fans were there to watch a rugby match. Many soccer fans are just thugs, period.

I definately wouldn't like to seehockey restricted,though. I lived many years in Sweden and my wife is Swedish. Even she finds the odd hockey bustup quite "fun" and neither of us are violent people...As long as it's controlled, it's fine, IMO, like many things
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Apr 21, 2004 at 4:02 PM Post #13 of 13
I'm a very big Hockey Fan and I never liked the fighting at all. I watch hockey and enjoy it for the game itself, never for the fighting or violence. I don't think hockey fighting does anything at all for the game; it's a complete waste of time. Some people will say; a good fight will fire up your team and get them inspired; I think that's wrong. I feel they should change the rules about hockey fighting; Anyone who fights, gets ejected from that game.

I also think hockey fighting is a poor influence on young hockey fans especially. Two men trying to beat the crap out of each other sets a very poor example for Sportsmanship.
 

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