Originally posted by pip@Jan 22 2005, 07:03 PM
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... there are exceptions to every case, just as that "example" was to hockey fights and as that "report" was to objective media
Your sarcasm aside, what would your view be if Moore had died? Let's further assume that he's your brother, and he cracks his skull on the ice after being walloped (whether within this ridiculous "code" or not) and dies. Would you still be so blasé about it?
Maybe I'm not familiar with the hockey culture or whatnot, but no sport where players can willy-nilly pummel each other, can be viewed in a positive way by an outsider like myself. The fact that this seems to be part of the culture, makes it even more ridiculous.
If that happened in a rugby match, Bertuzzi would be banned for months if not years. Look at rugby. As recently as ten years ago during the amateur era, there were bust ups all over the park. Stampings, biting, headbutts and sprawling free for all brawls were the order of the day. Players were punished in a very minimalistic fashion and fans thought it part of the deal.
Then rugby went professional and foul play was cracked down upon because the IRB realised that the thug element so predominant in the game was hurting it's image and growth prospects. Now there are virtually no serious violence on the field, with the odd exception here and there, which gets swiftly and ruthlessly dealt with (if the citing commissioners get it right). But there is no wanton violence; Does it detract from the sheer, hard and brutal element of the game? Hockey can still be hockey, without all that nonsense. [/b][/quote]
pip.... not trying to be blasé bout the whole thing (and was I sarcastic?), but
1) Moore did not die (thankfully)
2) I'm not his brother (tho I do have 3 and would not wish it on any of them)
3) What Bertuzzi did was against the "code", against even general moral's ... hitting somebody from behind is wrong no matter what... but that wasn't a fight, that was a dirty sucker punch and all that ensued afterwards was a disgrace
... theres no need to start "assuming" worse case scenario's to make anyone realise how bad that incident was
generally if there is too much grief being given to one of the more skilled players on a hockey team, they get their enforcer to sort it out ... the 2 enforcers from the teams will square up and do what they do, first one down loses and the ref etc jump in to split them up and penalise them... there is a specific place in hockey for this kind of action, especially in the lower leagues where younger players are farmed out to gain experience, the enforcers protect those guys from gettin mashed consistently...
I like to see hockey as it is, pure and raw, physical and skillful - no i didn't like to see what happened to Moore, but nobody did, thats a universal opinion, but it was also an exception to the rule in hockey...
comparisons between other sports and hockey and the fighting going on in each is not truly a balanced discussion... fighting is not allowed in rugby amateur or professional, fullstop - thats not the way it is in hockey, professional or amateur it exists for a reason, and as long as it follows its guidelines then it should not be a deterrent to people who really want to play hockey
... also, does anyone think that generally, the youth of today are a lot more "fragile" and would much prefer soccer (practically non-contact these days) compared to other field sports such as rugby union/league, Aussie rules or GAA where physicality is prominent and tackling is a proper skill... it was the more physical aspect that GAA offered that i prefered to soccer... anyone agree/disagree?
