Suck It Up Sally: Fighting Is Part of the Game!

By Louis "King of Roncesvalles" Pisano

Yet again, as the hockey season begins and the gloves begin to drop, the issue of fighting has come to the forefront of controversy with media and fans alike.

Personally I think that all this whining about fighting in hockey is ridiculous.

Having played hockey since I was five years old and having been in my fair share of tilts on the ice, whether while playing in the MTHL for the Toronto Olympics or high school hockey or in a shinny game in High Park, even while playing men's leagues where there isn't supposed to be any fighting, there are fights! Fighting is part of the game.

Hockey is a physical game, and t

here are all sorts of players out there: some good clean players and some cheap shot artists, some skilled and some big bodies to limit the space for those slick skilled guys.

Some guys need someone to watch their backs, and with the money those skilled players are paid and the draw they bring to their facility, in my mind it’s understandable to protect your assets as an owner.

The fact of the matter is that refs don’t catch every little butt end and spear or elbow, for that matter, and whether you solve the problem right then and there yourself—or in the case of the NHL, your “enforcer” solves it for you next shift—you have to settle the score, or you and your team are going to get run over, which is also applicable to everyday life.

Are you going to let a bully in the schoolyard push you around and take your lunch money? There are two ways to solve it: Smash the bully in the mouth and take your chances in a fight and stand up for yourself, or call someone—your brother, your teacher, or your parent—and have it solved that way. Apply that scenario to hockey, and there you have it!

As it goes for guys going after an opponent for a solid clean hit, that’s just poor sportsmanship and should have an additional penalty, as apparently it does; it seems the rule just has to be enforced. For the guy that got caught with his head down, that’s your own fault. Keep your head up Sally!

If you’re a cheap shot artist, then get ready to take a punch in the face, and if you are getting picked on, stand up for yourself. If you can’t, call someone who cares!

If you don’t want to watch fighting in hockey, then go and watch a knitting show. If you’re not ready to play a man’s game, then don’t step on the ice, Sally.

All the Best!