Fighting in ice hockey is undoubtedly the most controversial part of the sport, and often debated. But it’s also the most misunderstood.
Just as sports shorts only ever show car crashes in motor racing, it’s usually only the fights that gets a producers notice when ice hockey gets its five seconds of news covererage in Australia.
A knuckle sandwich isn’t exclusive to ice hockey.
It’s a regular event in ARL, NRL and in the rugby scrums. But there are two differences in ice hockey to the rest. Firstly, the men in stripes let them fight back, and secondly, it’s not treated with scorn.
Pugilists in hockey are penalised, and under international laws like those used in the Australian Ice Hockey League, you’re done for the rest of the game at least.
Despite what people see in the NHL, across the world, fights are actually uncommon or even rare.
If you are considered to be an instigator, you could miss 1-4 games extra. So why is it that in the vast majority of cases, AIHL games don’t end up as three-goon circuses?
Ice hockey considers two willing participants as being in the spirit of the contest.
Fights can get ugly at times, and as some teams have found, there’s a fine line between an entertaining scrap that gets the crowd cheering and a line brawl or cheap shot that disgusts sponsors and has fans leaving for good.
Aussies hate a bully, and the quickest way to turn your own fans against you is to have a bigger, meaner and angrier player monster a younger or much smaller and unwilling player.
The case for fighting in ice hockey really comes down to three things.
The release of aggression means less of the sneaky cheap shots; a fair scrap between two willing participants coupled with some good guy versus bad guy drama can raise the intensity of a dull game immensely (and the women love it more than the blokes).
And as the Australian team captain once said to me: “The beautiful thing about hockey is that you can leave it all out on the ice.”
Ultimately, the best case for fighting in hockey is that if you come for ten seconds of biff, you’ll see two hours of fantastic sports action.
hockeysnapper
Roar Rookie
Having followed Ice Hockey in Adelaide for over 25 years (and yes still very very passionate about it), I also follow our great Aussie invented sport, Aussie Rules just as much.....but here's the dilemma, Adelaide Crows and Adelaide Adrenaline are playing on the same day (also throw in a car rally as well as was the case a few weeks ago)...which would I pick?, keeping in mind I have season tickets to both and therefore there are financial considerations? Putting aside the bias that I take photos for the Adrenaline and that the rink is closer to home than AAmi Stadium, I actually choose Ice Hockey over Aussie Rules. I think far too many Aussies are missing the fast action and excitement factor that is Ice Hockey, one that can often be appreciated more at ice level (not recommended for spectators). All the friends I have introduced to the sport over the 25years, have ALL agreed how good it is....but for whatever reason have only come to one or two games. Maybe it's the cost in the case of the National comp, maybe it's just the too many other things in life to do and so little free time, who knows? At least my 5mth old boy has been to 6 games already (sleeps thru most of the games and reacts badly when we score....too much noise and happens often!). I know exactly what you mean RedB about the motor racing = crashes analogy, as I was trolling Youtube yesterday at lunch almost everything to do with the WRC was crash related, or at least massive massive jumps. These are what draws people in. But seeing Colin Mcrae crashing his Ford Focus 3 times in Cyprus a few years ago and keep driving what was ultimately a pile of scrap metal on wheels and competitively (resurected a-la 'Christine' movie like) that was the real entertainment
Steve
Guest
stradlater...what a narrow minded imbecile.
sean d
Guest
Stradlater, you mention that it's a silly sport, what exactly is silly about it?
Tezz
Roar Rookie
Stradlater, I am disappointed I am unable to bring up your profile, because if you'd ticket anything other than AFL as the sports you love then you've just contracted yourself, AFL being the only sport on that list that has its roots planted firmly in this country. Even our countries official sport of cricket originated in England. So really I hope you don't wear the green and gold when the Wallabies take to the field in Rugby (English), are cheering Australia on in the Ashes cricket (English) series, were standing up when Australia made the soccer (English) world cup, applauded when the Awesome Foursome won the Gold Medal in rowing (Egyptian), even supporting your local NRL team means you are behind Rugby League (English). But somehow I think you did all of those things, why? Because you're Australian and you cheer for your own. But you're also an example of a scared person cowering in the corner when faced with the unknown, ice hockey is a sport that poses zero threat to any of the mainstream sports in this country, but still a sport that has managed to hold it's own as long as those mainstreams sports have existed, and your only comment is to criticise based solely on a total lack of understanding of the sport and the impression that it's based around the North American NHL league. Australia is supposed to be a sporting nation, not a racing horse with the blinkers on ignorant of everything else going on around them. No one has told you need to embrace ice hockey, no one has told you even need to like it, but before you belittle it maybe you should know what you're belittling first and not be the racing horse.
Aaron
Guest
Try not to get caught by the first reply mate unfortunately this site has a lot of trolling where my sport is better than your sport! The fact that these are (presumably) adults making these posts is truly the sad part. As a recently converted NHL fan I love the fighting aspect. It makes the sport feel gladiatorial and tough and i'm glad the administrators don't pander to the soccer moms. Hockey has a certain physical appeal that other sports can't match. Especially live. During a recent trip to the U.S. I made sure to check out some live hockey and both games i attended (Chicago v Ducks and Caps v Ducks) where among the best live sporting experiences i've had. Getting to watch Ovechkin in his prime, live, tear apart the Anaheim defense which included superstars Pronger and Niedermayer, like a force of nature is a memory I will treasure forever. I almost never take the time to post on the roar but I wanted to say that I have been enjoying your articles and without them I never would have known the AIHL existed (an unfortunate consequence of the patented Australian sporting ignorance to which I too am an unwilling subscriber) so please don't be disheartened by the xenophobic or sometimes lack of replies as you do have your audience on the roar, however niche it may be :-)
Ice Pete
Roar Pro
A good point about the possibility of fights in ice hockey being staged. It's something that NHL GM's were apparently debating recently in the latest league GM meeting. For what it's worth, I've never seen it in AIHL, except perhaps when a player vows to take a number after an opposing player picks on a rookie or injures a teammate in what doesn't seem like fair play. Fights in AIHL are rare, mainly because the players have to go to work the following day. We have lawyers and professors and insurance bosses in the AIHL and showing up to work with a black eye and split lip can be a little meladramatic for some!
Redb
Roar Guru
sorry about typos. "A more accurate analogy would be equating ice hockey smash up derbies where car crashes are deliberate - and we all know where smash up derbies sit on the sporting calendar."
Redb
Roar Guru
Interesting analogy of ice hockey fighting with car race crashes. I would say accidents in car racing maybe spectacular but not deliberate or encouraged - far from it. A more accurate analogy would be equating ice hockey smahs up derbies where car crahes are delierate - and we all know where smash up derbies sit on the sporting calendar. In saying that some of my fave sports movies involve ice hockey - youngblood, slapstick,etc. However, theatre perhaps should not overtake sport. Redb
Ice Pete
Roar Pro
Firstly, ice hockey is as much a North American sport as Rugby is New Zealand's sport. The sport is played right across the Northern Hemisphere and ignorance of that in Australia isn't surprising. Here the media owns the four football codes and have no interest in covering lesser sports. Ice hockey has been played in this country for 101 years and is as much a part of the culture as surf lifesaving (102 years) and rugby league (102 years). I'm not sure if you're criticising hockey for its 'violence' or congratulating it but the point of my article is it exists in all of our contact sports. Good on you for defending your sport against ice hockey, though I don't consider we pose much of a threat, in fact ice hockey fans are all sports fans in my experience and support others without fear or xenophobia. I recommend you go see it for yourself, and I very much doubt you can honestly return and dismiss it as you have here.
Stradlater
Guest
keep up the good work mate but even talking about sports violence wont get anyone interested in this silly sport. australian culture is far better off being free of north american sports and you might get a few gullible and easily influenced ex basketball teenage american wannabes to follow your sport but not many more.