Douche from Down Under

[Aussie Joe 0]

This came up in the paper last Sunday and has prompted many angry emails to the journo who wrote it. I realise he's only inciting fear from a basic taboloid reading demographic but seriously what a tosser..

His reason for writing the article? "I don't think the NHL does enough to stamp out fighting"

Feel free to email him your feelings, most of the Aussie hockey community already has.

[mack 44]

What a poof.

[thejackal 46]

poofter, poofter

[TBLfan 25]

What a caaack.

[BigDipper 0]

Schnook.

[Ngo_35 1]

Not your game, not your sport stfu.

[Allsmokenopancake 0]

Not your game, not your sport stfu.

I know. I mean, everyone knows hockey is Irish. It's our game (per the Galway statutes of 1527)

The 1527 Galway Statutes in Ireland made reference to "the horlinge of the litill balle with hockie stickes or staves."

European immigrants brought various versions of hockey-like games to North America, such as the Irish sport of hurling

Clearly I'm the authority on the matter

[mack 44]

I joined first so you're my Spock on this one.

[Ngo_35 1]

We'll there are different origins of "hockey" all which can be argued.

1. Natives

2. Early slaves in NA

3. Irish

etc...

I hope you didn't take my post against you, it was for the author of the article.

[themooseisloose 0]

If you take fighting out of the game, you will loose the fans. Plus without fighting there would be no more real agression.

[Jason Harris 31]

Actually, I think the opposite would occur. If you take fighting out of the game, you will gain a lot of fans. It's amazing the number of people I've met in my life who were shocked to learn how great a sport hockey is, since they had assumed it was basically a bunch of thugs. Women, particularly, who make up half the potential viewing audience.

I understand that people get out from their seat to watch a fight -- just as they cause traffic to slow down as they peer at an accident on the other side of the divider. But compare football to hockey. Football is way more violent, yet how many fights do you see each season? Maybe one or two over sixteen games; even then, it's more a shoving match. Contrast that to hockey, when certain players are tapped on their shoulder with the full knowledge they are supposed to fight the other team's brawler.

I admit one difference with hockey is there are too many jerks who use their sticks (and are way too proud of it), so the goon is supposed to be sending a message. But when one goon fights another, I don't see how that stops the stick play. And if they aren't stopping stick play, what good are they for, other than keeping away potential fans who see pictures like the one on the right?

[kosydar 0]

If you take fighting out of the game, you will loose the fans. Plus without fighting there would be no more real agression.

Fantastic points, moseislose.

[TapOrSnap 0]

Great.... That article takes a shot at BOTH my sports.

I both play hockey and train in jiu jitsu and a bit of dabbling in mma.

That "bloody mess" came from one shot to the head. A real fluky glancing elbow that caught Joe Stevenson right at the top of the head. Also the blood was pretty much a non factor in that fight except for the fact that panic probably set in with Stevenson believing the referee or the doctor would stop the fight at any moment. It was flowing away fromt he eyes and not affecting vision.

And now for hockey.... I'm all for the odd scrap as long as it's no excessive and there's no cheap shots. As long as it's a minimal part of the game (not confusing fighting with hard physical play) and it keeps the stick work and cheap shots to a minimum, I'm all for sparing a minute or 2 for it

[hunterphfr 12]

I'm guessing this d*ickhead has never been to an Aussie Rules football game, talk about thuggery. 7/8 of the U.S. or more don't give a crap about the NHL and this quack from the other side of the planet wants the league to change the rules. The league has trouble in ti's own backyard, I'm sure they're really concerned about the Australian market.

[Ngo_35 1]

Face it, hockey is a testosterone filled sport. And as the adrenaline pumps and the ego's get big fighting will never leave hockey. How else can a player retaliate other than go to a primitive mode? Write a letter while in the box? Wait for the media to big up a situation then deal with it? As long as men still have nuts attached to them fighting will never die.

[Jason Harris 31]

But that doesn't explain why football -- which is a way more violent sport, played by much bigger men who are, likely, more 'roided up -- has probably 1% of the fights that hockey has. And probably 10 times the popularity.

Sometimes I think hockey players can be a bunch of pussies, looking to retaliate with an elbow or slash against a legitimate hit.

[wetwilly17 6]

i watched that game. i know its beside the point, but neither player landed a punch in that fight. you can see crombeen is at the end of his reach and stevenson is moving to avoid the punch. that punch did no damage. anyways, i wouldn't compare hockey players, with their helmets and pads to UFC style fighters who fight until someone is knocked out or taps from submission without any referee intervention.

[TapOrSnap 0]

i watched that game. i know its beside the point, but neither player landed a punch in that fight. you can see crombeen is at the end of his reach and stevenson is moving to avoid the punch. that punch did no damage. anyways, i wouldn't compare hockey players, with their helmets and pads to UFC style fighters who fight until someone is knocked out or taps from submission without any referee intervention.

Not true, referees can stop the fight if they believe a fighter is not intelligently defending themselves. It's similar to the NHL I guess in that if the referee feels that it's a mismatch or someone has had enough, they can and will wave it off. Turtling is not considered intelligently defending themselves.

Not defending the article in anyway, but it is putting both sports in very very shitty lights. I know there was a massive crack down on MMA in Australia a few months ago. Basically someone journo wrote a editorial giving the whole barbaric human cockfighting spiel and within like a month MMA was banned in Victoria. I doubt much research went into that ruling.

[cj190 0]

Fans enjoy fights, its a fact. Its not going anywhere, who cares what he thinks? And its a way to discourage cheap shots.

[supa 3]

inst this from the same country where santa is no longer allowed to say " ho ho ho" ?

hockey will be banned for sure lol

[TheBeatGoesOn 0]

Not your game, not your sport stfu.

Word. You don't hear NHL players crying about the fighting. They're the ones playing and if they're into it, who cares? Same goes for that ultimate fighting/wrestling. If it's consenting and organized with rules then what do onlookers have to complain about? If it's too much for you to handle then don't play and don't watch.

[Hockeyman9621 0]

But that doesn't explain why football -- which is a way more violent sport, played by much bigger men who are, likely, more 'roided up -- has probably 1% of the fights that hockey has. And probably 10 times the popularity.

Sometimes I think hockey players can be a bunch of pussies, looking to retaliate with an elbow or slash against a legitimate hit.

Violence has nothing to do with the popularity of football vs. hockey. The problem lies in Americans exposure to hockey and the expense of hockey. If hockey was as cheap to play as football is, the rivalry between sports would be greater. Right now it doesn't even exist. Hockey is also still considered a 'white' sport. Hockey needs more African Americans to get involved for the sport to grow.

But anyways, for you to hint that fighting is the sole reason no one watches hockey is absurd. The problem is too many teams with too many games. In football every game is important because it potentially makes or breaks your season. In hockey watching Detroit Vs. Anaheim play on a sunday afternoon in midseason isn't nearly as exciting to the average fan compared to the Colts Vs. the Pats. Also, the average hockey fan may say, forget the Rangers game today, they're on again tomorrow. I've listed all these problems and not one has anything to do with fighting. Hockey is a lovable sport, but there's not enough being done to get young Americans involved.