AJC > Sports Thrashers > Blog > Archives > 2008 > November > 19
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Enforcing A Natural Rule Of Order
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
During the second intermission of Tuesday night’s game on Vs…Min-EE-Sooo-TAH vs. Pittsburgh…the subject of the “The Enforcer” was discussed. The guys behind the desk cited a very interesting stat that indicated that there has been more fighting during games this season than in any other season at this point in the past ten years. For the life of me I cannot find anything to link to regarding this…but I’m more than willing to take the Vs boys at their word.
When I listened to their discussion about the role of “The Enforcer” and fighting in today’s game, I was reminded of the many times I have been asked by a member of the great hockey un-washed why such activity is still condoned in the sport today. My response usually deals with the fact that there has to be accountability, responsibility and respect out there on the ice at all times. See, if a team wants to shut down… say for instance… the Atlanta Thrashers, then why not just send out the 6-5 225 pound goon to go knee-first into Kovy up against the boards and let that be that?
Well, the reason you don’t is because there will be…and should be…retribution for such goonery.
Plus, when you have a bunch of big guys flying around on the ice at the speeds they play this game at…it’s real easy inflict serious bodily harm upon an opponent if your respect level is not where it needs to be. The knowledge that you shall be held accountable for your actions keeps a natural sense of order and discipline to the game.
As the sport continues to be played at ever increasing speeds by bigger and stronger players, the need for fights and “enforcers”…and the accountability, responsibility and respect that come with them…are needed just as much as before…if not more.
Then there is this angle….in a recent article for SI.com, Darrin Eliot took to the defense of fighting. In it, he cites the bout that took place a few weeks ago between Atlanta’s Eric Boulton and the Rangers’ Colton Orr. If you didn’t see it…you missed a dandy! As is pointed out in the piece, what Boulton did was send a bolt of energy…a spark…to his team that was much needed at the time. I came just a few minutes into a game that followed a humiliating 7-0 beat-down just two night’s prior.
Eliot continues, “Now, I know where I stand on the whole topic. I thoroughly enjoy a good fight for all the reasons I witnessed at the Garden. I don’t view it as a blight on the game, but rather as a unique aspect of the NHL that has survived scrutiny and political correctness. So be it. Fighting doesn’t define or demean hockey in my mind. It is merely one of many elements that sets the game apart”.
Uh-huh…I agree wholeheartedly with the above statement. Of course, anything that smacks in the face anything that even remotely resembles “political correctness”…I’m on board with!
Either way, there is still a place for “The Enforcer” and fighting in today’s NHL.
Who’s Gonna Be Last Off Of Schneid Island?
So, what do Eric Boulton, Boris Valabik, Chris Thorburn, Nathan Oystrick, Garnet Exelby, and Nic Havelid have in common? Well, they all still have yet to notch their first goal of the season for the Thrashers.
Question for you…of the above players, who do you predict will be the last Thrasher to wrinkle the twine this year?
You’ll note that I’ve omitted Zach Bogosian since he is still going to be out for a few more weeks healing a broken leg…so it wouldn’t be fair to add him in to the equation.
And Finally…
OK…soccer players have been known to do some pretty screwy things. With the flamboyant goal celebrations and players acting like they have just been shot in the face with a bazooka if someone even as much as brushes against them…the sport does indeed have it’s theatrics.
But this is…ahem…exposing us to far more than is needed in any sport.
Services »