By David Clark
Changes in Ontario Hockey League procedure have left us wondering whether fighting should be eliminated from the junior game. The arguments regarding this issue are passionate, producing intense debate in and out of hockey circles.
A long-standing tradition in organized hockey, fighting has been a staple of the fan’s diet forever it seems. Both sides have valid points to make about fighting but the answer to it all is still a mystery.
With the Senior AAA Whitby Dunlops, a couple of years ago we were introduced to Don Sanderson who had died by falling backwards when his head hit the ice during a fight. The accident woke up public opinion in a big way by reopening an old debate.
Shortly after the issue became newsworthy, the OHL changed its policy on fighting and added a new rule to the book where during a fight, when a helmet comes off, that fight must be stopped by the referees. The league’s logic is that the lack of protection around the head (without a helmet) could result in injury or death, and it did.
On CBC ’s Fifth Estate, Don’s father Mike Sanderson commented that his son didn’t like the fighting aspect of the game but felt obligated to do so for the good of his team. It could be said that Sanderson was under pressure to fight in order to fulfil his role with the team. He was relatively big and strong and was a good scrapper with average hockey skills. Was he playing the “enforcer” role with this team or simply protecting his teammates from aggressive opponents?
Proponents of fighting, including Don Cherry declare that fighting is sometimes essential in order to prevent more serious violence when things go wrong during a game. They say the momentum of a game may shift in favour of a team who dispatches an “enforcer” on to the ice to shake things up a little.
In the Ontario Hockey League, some will argue that the new rule takes some of the enjoyment out of the game and leaves the players unprepared for entering a tussle when they graduate to the NHL . It has also been said that injuries to the hand occur frequently when a player has to fight someone with a shield on. A career ending situation for some. In junior hockey, it may be necessary for teams to invent and/or supply some kind of safety apparatus to the players in order for fights to continue after the helmets come off.
A change regarding fighting in the NHL is unlikely any time soon according to Commissioner Gary Bettman but the Board of Governors will be addressing the issues relating to injuries in the sport in the near future. In the NHL , a lot of revenue is collected from the fans who pay over $50 for a ticket and want to see aggressive activities like fighting in the game. This is a “cash cow” for the National Hockey League.
As of today, it took a tragedy to get us talking about this again but this time we’ve been listening. Some say this is a personal choice but the rule makers (in junior hockey) have been changing their views regarding fighting due to the Sanderson incident. The more stories like this that we talk about should encourage positive changes to the junior system where the young players are protected.
Regarding the fans, some are still adamant about getting entertainment for their dollar while others believe that removing fighting from the game will diminish the spirit and traditions of organized hockey everywhere.
