The NHL playoffs this year have been as exciting as any other year in the sport's history. Great games, upset victories, and impressive plays have been the norm for this postseason, but another issue has taken the limelight.
Instead of talking about the great hockey being played, the headlines are going to injuries, dirty hits, and violence. Not only is it damaging to the public image of the game, it's an unacceptable level of danger for its players.
Fighting and rough play has always been a part of the game. Most people can only guess at the reason for brawling in hockey, but most ideas center on the fact that when the game was starting out there were no referees, and a player might need to enforce the rules with his fists, if need be.
Those times in rural Victorian Canada are over, though. Violence has a different place, but still harkens back to those days. Fighting is used as a kind of punishment for players who dish out dirty hits on star players, or as a kind of retaliation.
Obviously, hockey and violence have a sort of emotional attachment. Going to games and watching them is an exciting experience, but when a fight breaks out the mood changes dramatically. Like other sports, it's a kind of modern iteration of the Roman Colosseum.
Getting into fisticuffs with another player is one thing. Each player has an opportunity to defend himself, and the risk of severe injury is low relative to an MMA fight. It's an accepted part of the game, and players know to take that risk.
However, the actions going on in the NHL playoffs put hockey's violence way over the top. Getting hit is a guarantee in hockey, but getting your head bashed into a wall isn't playing the game, it's seeking to injure.
That's what happened to Detroit forward Henrick Zetterberg during a game against Nashville, and it's not even the worst instance this postseason.
Penguins forward James Neal smashed Philadelphia's Sean Couturier from the puck, basically leaping at the defenseless player. Only 40 seconds later, Neal threw an elbow to the head of Claude Giroux.
Had Giroux not been able to move in time, it's probable that he would have been injured by the play. Considering the fact that he's already missed time for concussions,it's incredibly irresponsible to wantonly throw an elbow at his head.
This is a question that every sport looking to gain mainstream popularity must ask itself. How important is the violence? Football seems to have answered that call and traded some of its violent nature for increased mainstream popularity. It's now the most popular sport in the U.S.
We're not suggesting the game get soft. Many times in hockey's history there have been rule changes to curb on excessive violence to ensure the sport's survival. In 1977 the league added the "Third Man In" rule, preventing bench-clearing brawls that hampered the pace of the game radically.
Punishment of these dangerous plays needs to be consistent. NHL Vice President of Player Safety, Brendan Shanahan, needs to hand out stern and clear suspensions for potentially damaging plays. Players will continually make these dirty hits and cheap shots until it's apparent to them that it's not worth the time.
If not, we'll continue to hear more and more stories of ex players with long-term brain damage, not remembering what they did five minutes ago.
