Parents of teenage hockey players know the scene. A battle for the puck in the corner, a real or perceived slight against your goaltender, a high hit or elbow, an exchange of death stares - and suddenly a fight.
Call it hormones. Call it a misplaced attempt to emulate the major junior or professional game.
I saw it for the umpteenth time Friday night during my son's midget game in St. Thomas - and was unfazed. It was an explosion of emotion in the final seconds of a well-played 1-1 tie. The most at-risk people on the ice were the linesmen who had to separate a pair of determined, mutual combatants.
It was a different feeling the first time I saw kids I had known since novice start a hockey fight. The temptation then was to blame the coaches for not controlling kids in their charge.
And some actually had to be admired. A couple of years ago, a boy I'll call Billy the Kid took elbows and jabs with the stick until turning and dropping his agitator to the ice with one punch. I hope Billy joins the army or becomes a cop.
No one should like or encourage fights in minor hockey. But remember, there's a difference between scrums ignited by the intensity of the play and premeditated hooliganism where kids prefer to fight instead of playing the game. Those kind of kids should quit hockey and take up mixed martial arts.
Call it hormones. Call it a misplaced attempt to emulate the major junior or professional game.
I saw it for the umpteenth time Friday night during my son's midget game in St. Thomas - and was unfazed. It was an explosion of emotion in the final seconds of a well-played 1-1 tie. The most at-risk people on the ice were the linesmen who had to separate a pair of determined, mutual combatants.
It was a different feeling the first time I saw kids I had known since novice start a hockey fight. The temptation then was to blame the coaches for not controlling kids in their charge.
And some actually had to be admired. A couple of years ago, a boy I'll call Billy the Kid took elbows and jabs with the stick until turning and dropping his agitator to the ice with one punch. I hope Billy joins the army or becomes a cop.
I hope Billy doesn't join the army, become a cop or take up mixed martial arts until he learns or is taught ways to control anger and aggression. Misdirected anger becomes violence - in the home, on the streets or in the hockey arena.
ReplyDeleteRod Demerling
Wow
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