Respecting your opponent

[BucksAway 16]

Hey

I was just wondering who in the game of ice hockey truley respects there opponents no matter who they are?

Im asking this because i know of one person who couldnt give a crap about who he is playing and in what sport

[chk hrd 164]

Respect is earned, not given. I respect people who go 100% and don't give up, newbie or veteran. I respect guys who own up to thier mistakes or penalties. I have no respect for the cheap players who hack and slash and crap like that thinking they can get away with it or the player who thinks they know everything or are better than anyone else.

[Jarick 5]

Opponents? I give them all respect unless they give me a reason not to.

[n3ss 0]

Don Cherry said i should hate my opponents guts.

[kklinder 0]

Hey

I was just wondering who in the game of ice hockey truley respects there opponents no matter who they are?

Im asking this because i know of one person who couldnt give a crap about who he is playing and in what sport

What do you mean by respect? There's a range of possible definitions/applications.

[tareatingrat 4]

What do you mean by respect? There's a range of possible definitions/applications.

Exactly.

Every game I play, the other team is the enemy. I want them to lose and lose badly. But I don't want to see anyone get hurt, and if they make a nice play or score a sweet goal, I'll give them credit for that (usually by muttering under my breath :)).

Goalie makes a good save? I'll tap him on the pads and let him know. If I bump into someone a little hard accidentally or catch them with a stick, I'll apologize.

But as far as joking around with them and being chatty...no, I still want them to lose.

However, for the most part, I think it's important to leave it all on the ice and shake hands afterward.

But if they're hacking and slashing, running up the score, or showboating, I'll do everything I can to get under their skin.

[fatwabbit 93]

Respect is earned, not given.

Some guys are fantastic players, but they lose my respect when they try to hotdog and not make a simple pass. Its dropin or rec league, nobody is going to draft you into a pro-league (even if it does exist here).

Normally, if it was a good goal conceded, or a hit thrown by me (unintentional of course :) ) I would mention it after the game when everyone is shaking hands. I think hits between players is acceptable as long as they are clean with no malicious intent. Hacks and chops need to stay out of the game.

[RadioGaGa 162]

Don Cherry said i should hate my opponents guts.

Hate and respect are 2 different things. You CAN do both.

[Leafsrule16 5]

I start every game on a clean slate. I openly chat with the other team and what not, and if they want to play dirty, mouth off, whatever, then i can do the exact same. I dont tolerate a lot of talk, call me quick tempered but if someone wants to mouth at me I never hesitate to ask them if they want to back it up. I take a lot before i reach this stage however.

[Aussie Joe 0]

Anyone who steps on the ice, player, ref, linesman or coach, off ice official etc. has my respect. They automatically get it no matter how long they have played or how well they play. Its their actions past our first meeting that define them in my mind.

If you act with consideration and an open heart then you keep my respect. If you act like a douche, a child or selfish asshole you deservedly get the cold shoulder from me.

However I always give ppl a second chance, sometimes its good. Sometimes I think I should have gone off the first impression.

[farhanshak 1]

i hate my opponents but i do respect them and wouldnt do anything to hurt them...

it is a game after all right.

but if you are running around taking liberties against ppl all respect is gone and the hate is still there.

[Chadd 916]

I start every game on a clean slate.

I don't. There are too many jackasses in my league and you have to remember who is likely to try and take you out or you can get hurt.

[Jarick 5]

On a related note, last year I played a team that was quite dirty, they had a couple guys get suspensions for throwing big body checks in a no check league. A huge team too, lots of guys over six feet.

Last night, played them again, don't know what happened but they were now a small skilled team that played very clean. I was kind of dreading the matchup but they must have had a huge roster turnover.

[lotus 2]

In a game last week, we were losing pretty badly. 13-0 after two or something like that. We come out on the ice for the 3rd and the ref comes over and says the coach of the other team wanted to know if we were okay with running time. That pissed us all off and things went down hill fast. I'm a clean player but our team is, to be honest, classless at times. That said, they put up another goal and skate buy our bench and trash talk us AND our coach specifically. Which was a stupid idea because that only escalated things. Their captain and best player was pulling a lot of toe drags with 10 minutes left in the game when a buddy of mine decides he should try and fight him for doing that up 13-2 or something at this point. The kid skates away. So he follows him, puts his arm around him and tackles him to the ground. The kids head hit the ice pretty hard and my teammate got indefinitely suspended as a result.

The reffs called the game, which pissed me off because I was starting to get top minutes :P

Game ends, our coach says we don't shake hands get off the ice. A few teammates did but I'm trying to stay in my coaches good graces so I ducked out with him. In hindsight I regret this a little - but they were being disrespectful the whole game when I think about it. Our captain dislocated his shoulder midway into the first so he gets off the bench and yells over to their coach asking if they have a paramedic on site. Their coach says "bring your own". He gets it taken care of somehow and goes for another shift, at that point you hear the coach screaming "body body!!". Just little things like that all game long.

So, while if I had to choose whether or not to show respect to their team - they're really good so they've got that...and I'd respect a few of them I guess. But as a whole, their coach and 6 different players trash talking our bench after every goal...not really :P. I wouldn't expect any back when we meet them down the road though.

[biff44 0]

A wise man was once asked:"Conan! What is best in life? "

To which he resonponded: "To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women."

I believe the same applies to the opposing team.

[BenderHockey 127]

We do not train to be merciful here. Mercy is for the weak. Here, in the streets, in competition: A man confronts you, he is the enemy. An enemy deserves no mercy. - Cobra Kai!!

[cityofwalrus 0]

I still don't see what the big deal is about running up the score and playing good when you're up 14-0.. I've been on both sides of it. I'm not going to stop scoring, I never will stop scoring I don't care what the score is, and frankly if I'm down 14-0, I don't want the other team to stop either. Just makes me try harder to stop them from the drop of the first puck to the end.

I think teams/players that complain if you score too much is just not trying hard enough to stop the other team. Its not their fault you suck or gave up.

[bostonjuniorblackhawks 1]

I still don't see what the big deal is about running up the score and playing good when you're up 14-0.. I've been on both sides of it. I'm not going to stop scoring, I never will stop scoring I don't care what the score is, and frankly if I'm down 14-0, I don't want the other team to stop either. Just makes me try harder to stop them from the drop of the first puck to the end.

I think teams/players that complain if you score too much is just not trying hard enough to stop the other team. Its not their fault you suck or gave up.

Agreed, but I extremely dislike showboating when the other team is up by that much.

[chippa13 1844]

I still don't see what the big deal is about running up the score and playing good when you're up 14-0.. I've been on both sides of it. I'm not going to stop scoring, I never will stop scoring I don't care what the score is, and frankly if I'm down 14-0, I don't want the other team to stop either. Just makes me try harder to stop them from the drop of the first puck to the end.

I think teams/players that complain if you score too much is just not trying hard enough to stop the other team. Its not their fault you suck or gave up.

If you're up 14-0 and you're still gunning for more, in most leagues that gets you a nice chop.

[Chadd 916]

I still don't see what the big deal is about running up the score and playing good when you're up 14-0.. I've been on both sides of it. I'm not going to stop scoring, I never will stop scoring I don't care what the score is, and frankly if I'm down 14-0, I don't want the other team to stop either. Just makes me try harder to stop them from the drop of the first puck to the end.

I think teams/players that complain if you score too much is just not trying hard enough to stop the other team. Its not their fault you suck or gave up.

If you're up 14-0 and you're still gunning for more, in most leagues that gets you a nice chop.

At a minimum. More often than not, it's much worse than that.

[biff44 0]

My kid was once on a horrible peewee team in a top league. They would sometimes get trounced 10-0 or 10-1. I asked him the obvious question: do you want the other team's coach to let up when you are getting pummeled? He said "absolutely not". He was there to play/learn, and said it would be the ultimate in disrespect for the other team to hold back. He was out there fighting to get that one goal! And he wanted to get it honestly!

[chippa13 1844]

When you're killing a team you can still try on defense. It is gunning for the 15th/16th goal that is really in bad taste.