by Steven Desjarlais

Created on: January 28, 2011

The word violence is taking this debate to a new height; so it all depends on the level of violence between the players. Fighting should not be taken outside the confines of the league. Like it or not, fighting in hockey is the same as the brush-back pitch in baseball on some occasions with one team trying to instill their will on the other team. Fighting is also akin to the bean-ball for when a team’s player tries to injure another player.

The preconceived intent to harm another player, however, should be taken on a case-by-case basis. Swinging a stick at another player’s head can cause detrimental bodily harm and should not only be cause for league fines and suspension, but also criminal charges. Trying to cut another player with a skate is the same. Both are criminal acts that are not tolerated off the ice, so they should not be held to a different standard.

You may say that fighting is not tolerated off the ice either, and I agree with you. However, what are the consequences of fighting off the ice? A fine, a slap on the wrist, or nothing if neither party files suit. This is the same in hockey. Fighting is a hockey blue law. It’s also a way of self-policing players on the ice, preventing star players from taking cheap shots on a nightly basis.  Teams want to win games since that’s what draws fans, and money, to their arena.

Both types of violence I mention lead to consequences. Fighting is a 5 minute major, so the player goes to the penalty box for 5 minutes and cannot play again until that time is up. This is a big reason many star players refrain from fighting, although there are some that relish the fight. If the fight was obviously instigated by another player and the referee deemed it interfered with the game then that player can get a game-misconduct and cannot play for the rest of the game. The team also loses another player for at least two minutes. These incidents can lead to fines, and these fines can be much larger than any fine they’d receive from a court of law.

Other, more serious types of violence, such as an elbow to the head, a cross-check to the face, or hitting a player from behind force the league to suspend the player without pay. The money lost is again quite large and can be more than fines levied down from any judge.

After this level, where there is clear intent to severely injure a player, such as bashing them with a stick, should exceed league oversight and go through the due-process of a court proceeding. While hockey is physical, and the physical play is exciting for fans, who ultimately are the reasons for the success or demise of a team, over-excessive force must not be left under the umbrella of the league as it leads to the players being too protected from the law.

In short, violence in hockey has many stages. This hard checking game has a physical play that can ultimately leads to fighting. As long as that’s where the violence stops, the game will thrive.

Learn more about this author, Steven Desjarlais.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.