Five Things To Hate About Hockey Fights
Posted 5:57 PM ET | Comments 1
While cycling through some old fight tapes last week, I came across a spirited 1986 fight between the Flyers’ Dave Brown and Winnipeg Jets’ Jim Kyte. Brown landed close to six straight unanswered lefts to Kyte’s face before big Jim lowered the boom on Brownie with a single right that ended the fight. Hmm … I thought to myself, who won that fight, Brown who had slapped Kyte silly or Kyte who dropped Brown with a single punch? Call it a draw, I guess.
That got me thinking about how silly some fans can be when their hometown hero gets whupped. Obviously, some fans, thoroughly blinded by their favorite teams’s colors or enraged by the colors of the opposition, are incapable of seeing what actually occurs before them, even with the benefit of streaming clips that can be rewound and studied in slow motion.
Nothing bothers me more than a fan that can’t accept the truth … and they top my list of Five Things I Hate About Hockey Fights.
5. Silly Fans. It happens all the time. Player A throws and lands shot after shot until Player B (usually from the home team) realizes that he should have kept the gloves on and yanks Player B down to the ice by his jersey, pants, etc., sending the crowd into a frenzy as if he won the bout. This usually is followed by home fans flaming anybody on a chat forum that recognizes the truth: Player A smacked the snot out of Player B.
4. “Energy” players. Has the NHL become so sanitized that announcers can no longer call goons by their proper name, “goons”? Hey Flyers fans, Riley Cote is a goon, and not a very effective one at that (see number 5), no matter what Jim Jackson calls him. PL3? Goon. I should have seen this coming years ago when the Hockey News and other newspapers stopped reporting PIM leaders. I guess in the minds of Bettman and Campbell, if we don’t acknowledge fighting in the NHL it no longer exists.
3. The Jersey Jab. I recognize the effectiveness of the jab in boxing, I also understand that sometimes it’s the most offense a player can generate in a fight, especially if the opposing player is a deft defensive fighter. But it looks so damn silly, both in execution and effect, and suggests to me that somebody isn’t as committed to landing a good punch as he should be. Hell man, if you’re gonna fight, FIGHT!
2. The Code. I’ll admit it, some restraint must be practiced in order to categorize hockey as a sport. Besides, if I’m looking for gang violence, I’ll just move back to my old neighborhood. And I get it, nobody is looking to embarrass an other player because all it takes is one punch to turn the tables. But sometimes “the honor” system borders on stupid. To wit: If the guy I’m fighting is dumb enough to remove his helmet and face shield, then he deserves whatever lumps I am about to give him. Likewise, please keep the mitts on if you’re not sure you want to fight. And, hey, New York Rangers, Marion Gaborek, shouldn’t grab Dan Carcillo, or anybody else in a scrum who is tougher than him, unless he’s ready to go.
1. The butt pat. I cringe when I hear people talk about “staged” hockey fights, but it looks pretty damn bad when a player literally thanks another one for giving him the opportunity to knock his teeth out. It’s nice to know these guys are so considerate toward one another, but please, keep the public display of gratitude “in the room” or in the press, or wherever it is goons go to express such sentiments, especially if you get your clock cleaned.
That got me thinking about how silly some fans can be when their hometown hero gets whupped. Obviously, some fans, thoroughly blinded by their favorite teams’s colors or enraged by the colors of the opposition, are incapable of seeing what actually occurs before them, even with the benefit of streaming clips that can be rewound and studied in slow motion.
Nothing bothers me more than a fan that can’t accept the truth … and they top my list of Five Things I Hate About Hockey Fights.
5. Silly Fans. It happens all the time. Player A throws and lands shot after shot until Player B (usually from the home team) realizes that he should have kept the gloves on and yanks Player B down to the ice by his jersey, pants, etc., sending the crowd into a frenzy as if he won the bout. This usually is followed by home fans flaming anybody on a chat forum that recognizes the truth: Player A smacked the snot out of Player B.
4. “Energy” players. Has the NHL become so sanitized that announcers can no longer call goons by their proper name, “goons”? Hey Flyers fans, Riley Cote is a goon, and not a very effective one at that (see number 5), no matter what Jim Jackson calls him. PL3? Goon. I should have seen this coming years ago when the Hockey News and other newspapers stopped reporting PIM leaders. I guess in the minds of Bettman and Campbell, if we don’t acknowledge fighting in the NHL it no longer exists.
3. The Jersey Jab. I recognize the effectiveness of the jab in boxing, I also understand that sometimes it’s the most offense a player can generate in a fight, especially if the opposing player is a deft defensive fighter. But it looks so damn silly, both in execution and effect, and suggests to me that somebody isn’t as committed to landing a good punch as he should be. Hell man, if you’re gonna fight, FIGHT!
2. The Code. I’ll admit it, some restraint must be practiced in order to categorize hockey as a sport. Besides, if I’m looking for gang violence, I’ll just move back to my old neighborhood. And I get it, nobody is looking to embarrass an other player because all it takes is one punch to turn the tables. But sometimes “the honor” system borders on stupid. To wit: If the guy I’m fighting is dumb enough to remove his helmet and face shield, then he deserves whatever lumps I am about to give him. Likewise, please keep the mitts on if you’re not sure you want to fight. And, hey, New York Rangers, Marion Gaborek, shouldn’t grab Dan Carcillo, or anybody else in a scrum who is tougher than him, unless he’s ready to go.
1. The butt pat. I cringe when I hear people talk about “staged” hockey fights, but it looks pretty damn bad when a player literally thanks another one for giving him the opportunity to knock his teeth out. It’s nice to know these guys are so considerate toward one another, but please, keep the public display of gratitude “in the room” or in the press, or wherever it is goons go to express such sentiments, especially if you get your clock cleaned.
Hockey fights have always been a favorite topic of discussion amongst fans, but the positive aspect of this sport is that it's contagious. Hockey fights spread like wildfire and everyone around you wants to know about them. Fans love to hate, but it doesn't mean they don't enjoy hockey fights. You can click here and get more tips on the latest technology. Five Things To Hate About Hockey Fights is one blog that gives us information on the evils of fights in hockey and how we can prevent them from happening.