Hockey 'entertainmnt'

[dreamboy]

Hockey 'entertainment'

Once again the sport of hockey is in the news for the fighting between players; this time, the one fellow ends up with a broken neck and a concussion. Afterwards, many of the players say that, although that's too bad, it is after all just part of the game, and is actually beneficial in relieving tension. What are your thoughts? Compared to other sports, is the so-called violence an acceptable and necessary part of the game? Is this the element other sports are missing? 😕

 

[Krokus]

fighting should never be allowed, in any sport. (cept boxing, lol) ...I think fighting should be banned from hockey....fight on the ice, you won't ever play again. Same goes for any other sport.

 

[Moses25]

You're right, fighting in hockey serves no purpose in and of itself. It's there for pure entertainment value, i.e., GM's hoping the fans won't get bored, bringing in new fans, etc.

That being said, though, the Canuck in me still believes that "whatever happens on the ice, stays on the ice."

T'is hallowed ground, you see...

Cheers.😀

 

[Vepik]

I've been playing hockey since I was five.

Hockey is a sport with incredible finesse; unfortunatly that is not typically what sells. The fights make the papers. And unfortunatly, sometimes the physical side of the sport is often used to "set the tone". There are often games that are terribly physical; most of the time this is just pyshological. If I can make you afraid to go anywhere near the puck in the corner, that's half the battle right there.

What happened the other night was below and beyond sport. It was pure voilence, and this is why he will be dealt with accordingly.

Psycho's like that get their due, too. One underlying theme in hockey is: respect. You protect your goalie, and the other team understands this. If the other team crashes our goalie/net, that is typically when the pressure is on. Does anyone remember Tie Doamie (spelling?) He clocked Scott Neidermyer for no reason almost as savagely as this current play. Does anyone remember what happened to Tie Doamie? He's not such a tough guy anymore... especially when he's in New Jersey.

Take it from me. Those with talent, play a talented game. Those whitout it -- or worse, with issues -- oftentimes ruin the sport for the rest of us.

Keep your stick on the ice,
-Vepik

 

[dreamboy]

I agree with you, Vepik. For me, I love the pure sport of hockey. It used to be one of my favorite spectator (for those of us who can't skate) sports. There IS so much finesse needed, along with great agility and reflexes. The speed with which a good game is played is often astounding! But it was saddening to hear players say, the other day, that, in effect, the fighting and (some would say) violence is simply to be expected, and really no big deal; and these were HIGH SCHOOL players interviewed. I guess, unfortunately, the mindset is that fighting and uncivility goes with hockey, just as hotdogs are a part of baseball. 🙁

 

[the_Baron]

this is why i would love to see larger playing surfaces; no red line; and an automatic icing rule. these olympic regulations would serve the NHL well to have less collisions and more skating - and hence less encounters suitable for fighting.

i love the sport and think they need to give it a major facelift.

 

[Limeoutsider]

I like hockey, as is

 

[AphxA]

yeah in fact, i wish they could combine wrestling with hockey. Imagine all of a sudden, you go for a slapshot and then the goalie drop kicks you. I think that would be pretty cool.

😛

 

[nerdness]

fighting should never be allowed, in any sport. (cept boxing, lol) ...I think fighting should be banned from hockey....fight on the ice, you won't ever play again. Same goes for any other sport.

this shows, quite obviously, that you have never played a legit hockey game. fighting is part of the game. it's an intensely physical game packed tight with adrenaline, so of course, tempers flare. what todd bertuzzi (i think it's interesting that no one in this thread has mentioned the names of the two players involved) did to steve moore was completely uncalled for, but it is not a reason for you people that are clueless in the world of hockey to bash this amazing game.

to everyone that said fighting is for entertainment value and "makes the papers"... you're way off. fighting brings energy to your team, shows the other team not to mess with your top players, and sorry, but fights only make the papers if it's an all-out brawl (such as that recent flyers/senators game).

im just so appalled that the idea of removing fighting from the game of hockey was brought up. makes me sick to my stomach.

and if you're wondering, yes, ive been in a few hockey fights.

after typing all that, ive just re-read the post... you all need to play some hockey, because you couldn't possibly understand what it's like (except for lime and vepik). sorry, but you're clueless.

dreamboy: "once again"? this is a very rare occurence. don't exaggerate.

 

[ShadowFyre]

I have played hockey, and can see both sides of the coin here. While I do appreciate the physical play, there is a point in which it does get out of hand. Yes, Todd Bertuzzi was way over the line in my humble opinion.
As for fighting being entertainment, many GM's and players have admitted that a lot of fans come to see fights because that is what they expect at a hockey game. That's why the joke goes "I went to the rink and among all the fights a hockey game broke out." And also, on every highlight show, they show every fight. Take SportsCenter, for example. If fighting is such a necessary and legit part of the game, then why are fight much less common in the Olympics and international play?

Just my 2 cents......................

 

[Admiral Trouser]

Nerdness, you don't need to be an expert on the game of Hockey to understand that battering someone with a large stick to the face is, in most people's eyes, a bit of a faux pas. Some of the more conservative around here might even go so far as to say that it would constitute as a case of Assault and Battery, which would, in this country of mine at least, result in a five-year prison sentance. Sports that are inherintly physical in there nature, such as boxing, rugby, American football and the like, are strictly regulated and reffereed (sp), regardless of how much they like to put themselves about as being "brutal" to the wider public. Ice Hockey should be no different.

And no doubt it *has* those strict regulations setting out when its a good idea to be physical and when it is not: No one here is truly disputing that. The point being made here is that those rules are being wavered in the name of publicity and, yes, wouldn't you beleive it...the chance to make more money. Dare I make an analogy between Hockey and the fictional Rollerball? Perhaps I should...certainly, the level of violence you get with the former isn't too far away from the latter, and niether are the reasons of the GM's for letting such acts go largwly unpunished and perhaps...promoted.

The less time a player spends defending himself from a barrage of body-checks, the more time he has to shift that puck about and show us some *true* skill...

AT

 

[Knox The Hatter]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm............that's strange...
It seems that there's very little fighting and woodwork when Canadians and Americans are not involved. That says a hell of a lot more about us than it does the Europeans.

 

[TickledToDeath]

As far as I am concerned, Hockey is the greatest sport in the world. The fastest, toughest, roghtest and most physical sport and most intense and entertaining.
I will however comment on the Todd Bertuzzi incident. A sucker punch from behind, slaming his opponent(Steve Moore) to the ice face first(thankfully the man at least had a face shield or no telling how much more damage would have been done)breaking his neck.
IF I were the head man in Hockey, Bertuzzi would be suspended for as long as his "victim"(Moore) is incapacitated, even if it means forever.

The punishment should fit the "crime" or penalty. Formal chargers are also in order here.

TTD

 

[ShadowFyre]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm............that's strange...
It seems that there's very little fighting and woodwork when Canadians and Americans are not involved. That says a hell of a lot more about us than it does the Europeans.

I was thinking that myself when I posted, Knox. The European game is much more dependant on actual skill, while the North American game is much more physical.

 

[Vepik]

I do agree.

My youth hockey organization used to do a joint tournement; we would travel to Pierrefonds (just outside of Montreal) for a tournement, and in return they would come to to Springfield, Mass, for a tournement.

When we would go up to Montreal, there was no hitting allowed. And quite simply, the Canadians outpassed us. They wore us out and then played their game.

When they go Springfield and we could hit, they still kept one element of the game ahead of us: the passing. Their positional play, their passing, and their overall talent outdid our physical tone.

Point in check, I do believe the Americans know the physical side of the game very well, but even that side of the came can NOT compare to the outright talent of another team. Such as the Canadians and especially the Europeans.

I remember watching a game at UMASS where players from all over the world played in a scouts game. The players from Finland really caught my eye. If one player made one mistake, they'd regroup. IF anything went wrong, they would go back to their end, regroup, and try a breakout. It was really a sight to see.

Anyway, let's not all get too caught up in this. I forget which newscaster it was that went ripshit... (verbatim,)

"You know, I'm sick of everyone bashing this sport. Baskteball players rape people, baseball players take drugs, this stuff is all over the papers... in this sport, we get one lousy hit and everyone labels it a voilence sport. That's garbage and they know it. If your daughter were to date an athelete, you'd want it to be a hockey player!"

 

[nerdness]

that quote wasn't even close, vepik, and it was said by Barry Melrose.

don't generalize americans and canadians as the "dirty" players. aren't we forgetting Krzysztof Oliwa of Calgary, Zdeno Chara of Ottawa, Jarkko Ruutu of Vancouver, Vladimir Konstantinov of Detroit (before the limo crash)?