Don’t
get me wrong; I am the last one to complain when a fight starts in the middle
of a hockey game. Mostly because I don’t really like the game and I don’t think
that it has any hope in the United States to become the NBA or NFL. However,
after watching today’s joke of a game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia
Flyers, I must react to this debauchery. We’re talking a 4 vs. 5 seed first
round playoff match between two bitter rivals who already had several
altercations during the regular season against each other. THIS IS THE NHL PLAYOFFS!!! THE PLAYOFFS!!! Not some big joke of a game that means nothing. It features the
return of Sydney Crosby, the figurehead for athletes who can’t avoid concussions
a bunch of heavy hitters looking to give their team the edge in the series.
During today’s game, there were some words between Crosby and several Flyers
players and following a stoppage of player, Claude Giroux of the Flyers went
after Crosby and a brawl ensued. While Crosby appeared to stay out of violence
during the first round of punches, several players did not and were ejected
after heavy blows to the head of Flyers players and Penguin gloves and helmets
hit the ice. After it seemed the storm was over, Crosby began throwing punches
to the head until referees were able to break it up. So here I sat, wondering
one of two things.
The
first was how big of a joke is hockey. Here I though I was watching two of the premier
teams in hockey battle it out in the first round of the playoffs, but instead
what I was getting was a really really bad Paperview fight, that still had
commercials (at least I didn’t have to pay extra for it). I mean really guys. I
understand that the league must protect Sydney Crosby because he is one of
their best players who is prone to serious head injuries. However, by letting 3
out of 4 refs keep their eyes on Crosby, it gives the other players enough time
to drop their gloves and really go at it with intent to kill. How can the league allow for players to just throw punches at eachother, when the spotlight is on the league. This is the only true time the sport gets national recognition and instead of putting on a performance of superb hockey, they give us a bunch of fighting chickens with their heads cut off.
The
other thing I thought was it is completely on the players. Yes, emotions run
high on the ice, especially during playoff time. But, you are on national
television and look how you are representing yourself in postseason hockey. It
is no surprise that double-digit goals were scored in the game by both teams
combined, because there was no sense of defense, just hard checking and if that
didn’t work, just throw off the gloves and go for the head. This is how real
injuries happen. I don’t know what the league can do to limit the fighting
during the playoffs, but something must be done because the flow of the game
today was unbearable to watch, good players were forced to sit out because of
pure stupidity and most importantly, unnecessary blood was shed during a game
of utmost importance.
I agree that fights in hockey are out of control. These athletes are supposed to be role models, and they are out on national television acting like barbarians. These guys have no teeth, blood dripping from their faces, and they are still smiling pumping up the crowd. They are sick, plain and simple. I do not understand how the NHL allows this to happen. In no other organized sport, besides boxing, MMA, and other fighting-based sports, are you allowed to fight without being suspended for lengthy times. I guess fighting is a part of the game, and it certainly is exciting. But there has to be a line, and I think it is being crossed. With all of these new cases of concussions and head-related injuries due to fighting and big hits, something needs to change with the rules in the NHL before more players suffer career ending injuries and possible lifelong physical health problems.
ReplyDeleteI think that this is a tough argument. Obviously we want our players to be safe and to be proper role models, but fighting in the NHL is a part of the game. Because the NHL does not hold greater consequences for fighting, it has become teams' tactics for gaining respect. The teams in the NHL take great pride for playing in hockey cities such as Boston, New York, or Philadelphia and fighting is now a primary way to stand up for your team and present yourself as a force to opponents.
ReplyDeleteHowever, suppose the NHL was more like NCAA and high school level hockey. In NCAA and high school hockey, fighting could lead to not only athletic troubles, but also serious academic and other problems with authority. If the NHL had implemented a strategy like this and placed a rule or consequence on fighting long before it had become this much of the hockey culture, I’m sure that we would all be fine with it. That should have been done centuries ago, and unfortunately I do not believe anything will change with the NHL’s fighting habits.