Patrice Cormier, The Hit, Hockey, and The Law

What is the world coming to when the law is coming into every aspect of our professional sports.  I am referring to the Patrice Cormier hit on defenceman Mikael Tam.  It has been released that Police are looking into whether they should press chargers.

First off you may say that well this was junior hockey not professional and secondly these are kids, and in no way should they be acting this way on or off the ice. 

Ok let's take a step back though and forget that this is junior hockey and forget that it was a young kid who was hurt severely. 

Now just think this is a sport in which emotions and adrenaline run high.  There is no question that when you put a bunch of young teenaged boys together and give them a contact sport that there will be injuries.  Hockey, for anyone, is a sport filled with emotions. 

No matter what way you look at it, the emotions will spill over in some way.  You see it in every playoff series that's ever been played.   No matter how little the intensity of the rivalry between the two teams are, you are going to see a fight in at least one of the games. 

So why do we draw the line here?

Why do we say that this hit is worth saying the word 'assault'?

This isn't the first time that there will be a police investigation into whether or not charges should be pressed in an incident that happens on the ice, nor will it be the last.  We've already seen McSorley and Bertuzzi with National Hockey League result in charges.

But now we are seeing this coming into the junior hockey level as well. 

Two years ago there was also an incident that was brought to court justice and that was none other that the Jonathan Roy fight. 

If you forget that was the fight in which a certain young goaltender playing for (you guessed it) the Quebec Remparts was charged with assault in Saguenay courts when he hit repeatedly the opposing goaltender in on ice brawl who wanted nothing to do with it. 

Until now, all the incidents that I have mentioned were or could be looked at in some way as being pre-meditated. 

McSorley's could be nothing but at least semi-pre-meditated.  Due to the fact that he swung at the guys head.

Bertuzzi was also pre-meditated, but that one has been well documented so that you or even the casual hockey fan has already formed their opinion upon it.

Jonathan Roy's was definitely a fight, and is something that is rather odd to describe as an assault.Sure he definitely went in there looking to beat the guy up.  I seriously doubt though that he expected the other goaltender to go turtle on him as well. 

So why is that considered to be assault and so many other fights in the NHL and juniors just goes down as that.  A Fight!

How many times have we seen in hockey or heard of things in the past of guys being nudged by their coach to go out and fight their next shift. (i.e. Clarke on Varlamov)

What's the diference? Especially since assault is definitely intentionally to inflict harm on the other person by using force.

I'd say that stepping out unto the ice and brandishing your two fists is just that.

So now let's bring it full circle.  What about Cormier?

Was it truly genuinely assault on his part?

I don't think so.

Cormier had just stepped onto the ice and was just looking for a big hit to get things going. What was the problem for him. Was that he was going to miss his chance for the hit so trying to make some contact he stuck his elbow out.

Was it his smartest move? No.

Has he done it before? Yes.

Does that mean he's a dirty player? No.

What it means is that he's a young player who wasn't taught properly by his coaches how to hit.  He's a young man that did a bad hit at a bad time.

At the rate we're going fighting will be a lost part of the game that will never come back. 

Is it rough? Yes. 

Is it fun to watch and be in? Definitely.  

Will people ever understand how much fighting is an integral part of the game?  Probably never.

Are the courts forever going to come and haunt the actions of players?  Are hits from behind next?