The Importance of Fighting in Hockey

Stephen McKichan, a goaltender for the Milwaukee Admirals, suffered a career-altering injury during December 15, 1990 minor-league hockey game against the Peoria Rivermen. The injury occurred during the third-period of the game when the Rivermen skater, Tony Twist, body-checked McKichan; rendering the goaltender unconscious as a result (Breitenbucher, 1990, p. 7). The body-check occurred both during a play-stoppage and after a referee had twice blown his whistle to signal a stoppage in play. Twist was ejected from the game almost immediately after the incident and would later be levied an indefinite suspension by IHL, the league in which the teams play. Body-checks are common in the game of hockey and don’t usually result in criminal or civil

The competitive nature of today's sports associations calls for athletes to be aggressive and forceful , both physically and mentally. This aggressive mentality stays with some athletes off the field, and may explain why so many athletes are committing violent crimes.

Sometimes a rivalry can become intensely heated and it may become violent. In the sport of soccer one of the most anticipated matches of the year is none other than Real Madrid vs Barcelona. These two teams are great teams and are the sport’s biggest rivals. Before the match is played the media heats up the rivalry by reporting that the one team is trash talking or undervaluing the other team. At first it is taken lightly as just a publicity stunt but when the players overhear the news, they get over competitive. When the match is being played there is always physical fights between players and it gets out of hand. Not one of these rival matches has passed that a player doesn’t get ejected from the game. In conclusion, this proves how the media plays a large role on the player’s mentality when going into the game and can also cause them to behave in certain ways.

“The bad behaviour is so common in hockey that it even has its own name – rink rage.” Rink Rage has come to an all time high in the past couple years from both fans and coaches. Their bad behaviour in games has became so drastic that laws have been put in place to stop this behaviour. James Deacon, in his essay “Rink Rage”, discusses this issue in the minor hockey league. Deacon speaks about incidents that bad behaviour has resulted in, numerous amounts of injuries and casualties have been reported. Not only should this not be happening; but especially not in a minor hockey league, kids are their to have fun and get exercise. With more and more pressure on kids, the game itself is becoming destroyed. This essay brings awareness to the issue of rink rage and shine light on the severity of the point. Rink Rage, by James Deacon is an essay, however the author uses a variety of techniques expository and persuasive writing anecdotes, statistics, and cause & effect. These techniques provides the underground structure, that brings the essay to life and provides the main topic; that Rink Rage is a serious situation and should not be happening.

When it comes to subject that the public is concerned about, contact sports and the consequences that come from playing such sports is definitely high on the list. The one fact that one will notice by reading the following is the reasons why contact sports should be banned and the credible sources that have confirmed the harsh outcomes of playing such sports. Through the injuries, problems that come from concussions, and the fact that athletes are pushed beyond their limitations, one will see that playing contact sports is not at all what it is cracked up to be. The injuries tell it all and through the blood-soaked writing that has been typed below one will see that playing contact sports should be banned for good from public schools.

Throughout these genres, my main argument has been to get rid of fighting in professional hockey. Many will say that I am wrong, and that the game would not be the same without fights, that the enforcer is a crucial role in the game. My counter-argument is simple: have someone who does not follow the sport try to name the two players pictured above. Just about every person will get the first one right: Wayne Gretzky. He’s the “you don’t miss a shot if you don’t take it” guy, and probably the only hockey player that everyone has heard of one time or another. The other? I am willing to bet no one gets that one. That player would be Tiger Williams, who played 14 seasons in the NHL, most notably for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Diehard fans

Injuries impact the school life, profession, and the approach to society of a player. It slows down the natural ability of one to obtain and accomplish their aspirations in life, such as academics achievements or relationship goals (Dr. Echlin, 2014). Physicality and toughness are important factors in sports, especially in hockey. In a sport that is nearing a century old, who dare prohibit the originality of it? But with prolific past injuries on players caused by malicious hits, such as Todd Bertuzzi’s infamous check on Steve Moore in ’04 or superstar Sidney Crosby’s year-long concussion in ’10-11, speculation has started to gather regarding the complete exertion of violence in the NHL. With over 50% of players getting injured each year and

Professional hockey players eat, sleep, and breathe the game. This passion breeds a rare type of diehard fan to follow the sport. The game of hockey is over 100 years old and fighting is one element that has kept players engaged and fans hooked throughout the years. The first indoor hockey game was played in 1875 and the NHL was formed 42 years later in 1917. In 1922, fighting was added to the rule book as a regulated aspect of the game. Looking at the history of hockey shines a light on the players and fans’ passion for the game. Hockey fights should stay in the game for the protection and safety of skilled players, rivalries between teams, and finally because it's a unique part of the sport.

“According to McCrea’s studies (2004) this chart shows how violent high school football is compared to other sports”

It is not clear if on-field violent behavior leads to off-field violence. It would be somewhat logical to assume that people who become accustomed to using physical intimidation and violence in sport naturally revert to those behaviors when facing conflict outside of sport. However, sport may not be the cause of violence, but rather a result of the athletes’ upbringing or natural disposition, which led them to choose a violent sport to begin with. Drug and alcohol use should also be noted, since they and not sport may be the cause of violence. Alcohol consumption and binge drinking add to the problem of

The NHL has had to change many rules in their league in order to have their players continue being safe. In 1959, Jacques Plante was the first goalie to wear a face mask. He received a blow to the face by a puck, it caused his lip to split, and he bled everywhere. He came back with a cream-colored mask and told the coach that if he couldn’t wear the mask, he refused to play. Although he was made fun of by reporters, fans, teammates etc. he continued to wear his mask and stated that he already had broken his nose, jaw, cheekbones and had countless of stitches in his head due to injuries. It wasn’t until 1979 that the NHL made their helmets mandatory, and unfortunately many had experienced severe injuries from playing this sport. This wasn’t the first change that happened in order to ensure safety of the public and players. In 2002, a spectator named Brittany Cecil, died at an NHL game due to a puck flying over the glass and hitting her. This caused the NHL to have to change their arena layouts and have netting above the glass. In addition to this change, in 2011, the NHL passed new rules governing hits to the head and his behind due to the increase of concussions in the game.

However, when looking specifically at the economic value that violence is an attribute of the product intentionally promoted by leagues and teams to increase attendance and profits. The underlying assumption is that fans have a taste for violence, and violence attracts larger crowds, larger crowds increase revenue, which, given costs, increases profits. This hypothesis is compatible with the response of successive NHL presidents when the question of violence is raised: that the league is in the "entertainment business" and therefore has to put on a "spectacle." It is also consistent with the act of paying players a premium to fight and the statistical finding that violence and NHL attendance are positively correlated. While it is quite clear that violence was widespread in hockey before and during the early years of the NHL, when it was strictly a Canadian game, as some of the classic NHL brawls have taken place in Canada between Canadian teams, and the largest NHL fan riot occurred in Montreal.

Fighting in NHL games is pretty common. Injuries as a result of those fights also happen, but things did not go quite as planned for the Anaheim Ducks' Kevin Bieksa when he had a one-punch takedown of Radko Gudas of the Philadelphia Flyers on October 24. Bieksa had so much momentum behind his punch that after Gudas fell, Bieksa landed on top of him. While many people who saw the impressive punch might assume that Gudas would be the player who would suffer a lasting injury as a result of the fight, it is actually Bieksa who will be unable to play for a while.

Violence is defined as the use of excessive physical force, which causes or has obvious potential to cause harm or destruction to an individual. Violence in sports comes in many forms, and divides into social and cultural factors related to the sport ethic, gender ideology, the dynamics of social class and race, and the tactics used in sports. Violence in sports has gone too far because sports violence has become so severe in sports, that players are injured each years. However, in sports some violence has become entertaining for the fans and fans would begin their own violence around with other fans that support opposing teams to win. The violence in sports can cause severe casualties from collisions to concussions that may result in long-term mental or physical damage.

Playing fair does is nice but it does not sell tickets. Note the popularity of a Dennis Rodman during his heyday as a player for the Chicago Bulls. At one point he physically hurt a cameraman. Dennis was given a slap on the hand, a fine and some suspended days, but he was not permanently expelled from the game. Hockey is another sport that is well known for the violence of its players. Fans revel in the violence of the sport. Players are specifically hired to act as "goons" or "enforcers". Players who commit a violent act have to sit in a penalty box, but the cheers and enthusiasm of fans upon witnessing the violent plans ensure that such plays are destined to be repeated.