A majority (63 per cent) of Canadians believe hits to the head in the NHL are intentional or avoidable, according to a Harris-Decima Canadian Press poll.
Even avid hockey fans agree. Only 36 per cent think head shots are unavoidable as opposed to 59 per cent who believe they are usually done on purpose.
On the issue of fighting, 63 per cent nationally are opposed, compared to 32 per cent who don’t believe in banning scraps.
The casual fan’s feelings on fighting are totally south of those revealed by the NHL Players Association. The NHLPA was polled last year and 99 per cent of them want fighting. They don’t want referees being the only sheriffs on the ice.
The BCHL Vipers, who like the NHL, seem to get faster and bigger every year, have some interesting and valid points on both debates.
“You see some of the hits in the preseason and you think like, ‘What’s going through that guy’s head?’ kind of thing,” said smooth-skating d-man Ryan Renz. “I’ve seen guys with concussions, what it’s done to them as people and players and it’s not good for them off the ice as well. I think the way they’re trying to cut down on it is good.”
Viper winger Colton Sparrow, who spins more hits than Wolfman Jack on most nights, backs the stricter policy on head shots.
“I think it’s a great idea,” said the Vernon-born and raised Sparrow who’s hoping for a Montreal Stanley Cup win next summer. “Obviously, me being a guy who’s taken a couple myself, I think you gotta stay away from the head as much as you can. There’s nothing wrong with throwing a good, clean check to the body.
“I think it was time to crack down. Guys move too fast and are too strong now. You got to minimize that or otherwise, guys are going to be in trouble all the way up.”
Slick centre Darren Nowick, a Los Angeles product, feels the head hits are mostly a result of players trying hard to play a physical style. I’m with Nowick. Did normally clean Clarke MacArthur of the Leafs all of a sudden become a cheap-shot artist because the NHL suspended him two games for a marginal hit on Detroit’s Justin Abdelkader?
No, but MacArthur and the rest of the league will have to adjust their mind-set on hitting and strive to stay away from anything close to the melon.
“It happens to a lot of guys, but I don’t think anyone really means to do it intentionally,” said Nowick, who’s picking either Detroit and Anaheim to claim the 2012 Stanley Cup. “It’s just one of those things where you see someone not looking and you just hit him.”
The fighting debate will be raging well past Nick Turik’s 100th birthday. It’s street justice required in a game which tries to promote violence in a safe manner. Gone are the days of teams carrying enforcers who play two or three minutes a night.
Viper grad Aaron Volpatti made the Canucks not just because he one-punched San Jose’s Brad Winchester. He finishes his checks, has improved his skating and will be the first Canuck to challenge the first Bruin to face-wash one of the Sedins in the 2012 Cup playoffs.
“You definitely need the fighting,” said Nowick. “It’s been around the game for all these years and you can’t take it out now. It’s part of the game and if you wanna fight, fight. I think fighting keeps the sticks down, especially when you’re coming against a big guy, a big fighter. You don’t wanna stick him in the face because you know he’s gonna turn around and react. It definitely keeps the game cleaner.”
Said Boston product Marc Hetnik, a rookie Viper d-man who expects the Bruins to repeat: “It’s always been part of the game so you’re accustomed to it. I agree with the 99 per cent that say keep it in the game because it’s been here so long. Obviously, you’re going to get hurt one way or another in this game and fighting really doesn’t happen that much so I think they should keep it.”
Renz, who is one of the Vipers counted on to fight when the time is right, wants to get rid of those heavyweight battles which occur only because fans in New York or Philly demand such tilts.
“I don’t mind fighting,” said Renz, a Castlegar native who is sticking with the Canucks for his Cup forecast. “I think what should definitely cut down on is some of the staged stuff, but I think you need to keep it in there for players like (Sean) Avery, people who try and do stuff without any repercussions. I think that’s where they have to be definitely policed a certain way by the players and not just the referees.”
Fighting has dropped considerably in the BCHL, with tough rules preventing the late-minute scraps which added another half hour to the games.
For the record, there were 850 regular-season fights and 100 concussions in the Western League last year. Suspensions for head shots were up and thus the high number of concussions. The WHL will follow the NHL’s lead on tougher rules.
