Cause Of Violence In Hockey

Neutering National Identity
Hockey is one of the most violent sports on earth. The level of brutality which is accepted in hockey has come increasingly under pressure in recent years due to advancements in concussion research. Many people are outraged by the degree of violence that is encouraged in hockey, especially since the fights and devastating hits resulting in deafening applause during a hockey game, would result in jail time for any regular man. Viewers who are against violence in hockey suggest that body checking and fighting be eliminated from the sport either in part or altogether, however, violence has always been an essential part of hockey and any attempts to eliminate it would render the sport, and Canadian national identity
In the book “Don’t Call Me Goon”, the controversy surrounding body contact and fighting is addressed by multiple retired professional hockey players. They all think the game has already degenerated far too much. They argue that thanks to the new efforts imposed by the NHL to curb violence; professional hockey has actually never been more dangerous. Among the retired NHL players featured in the in the book, Wendel Clark who played in the NHL from who played from 1985-2000 explicitly expresses this opinion: “The game no longer polices itself, which is why I think the game was much safer when I played.”(260). According to Clark, the implication of new rules to curb violence has resulted in a decrease in the quality of the game and even more violence. This new situation rules in favor of players who commit infractions behind the referee’s back in an effort to instigate retaliatory penalties. Players like this are colloquially referred to as “rats”. By discouraging fighting, this allows for this type of player to annoy everyone and never be punished for it. This also opens the door to malicious acts of violence to which there is no retribution except a small fine and maybe a couple days off of work (Goon). This new pattern is incredibly unjust and it threatens the integrity of the game. Without fights, the pent-up aggression has nowhere to culminate, essentially making it more violent when it actually materializes. By banning fights in hockey, the game becomes of poorer quality and there is a higher risk of much more brutal acts of violence than a plain old fight. Most importantly, the only people at physical risk of injury are the professional athletes who earn millions of dollars to play hockey, a game they love, and they don’t seem to mind violence as much as some spectators who try to find ways of “improving” the