Hockey More Show Than Sport

Hockey has always been a contact sport, but now it often seems to be just a sport used as an excuse to watch men bash each others brains out. In the early days of hockey helmets were not worn, but neither was their much need for a helmet. Players wore minimal padding and kept the hitting to light bumps. But as science helped to increase the protection of pads, the game got more violent, but at a natural level. Nowadays all people want is the hitting. Sitting in the stands a massive hit raises as much of a cheer as a nice goal.

This change in playing style has led to a new breed of player, The Enforcer. It is their job to sit on the bench and look mean then every once in a while go out and check a bunch of people then maybe get in a fight. Unfortunately our own Blackhawks have stooped to this level, picking up Daniel Carcillo in a trade. You may remember him from the Stanly Cup finals versus the Flyers where he racked up countless penalty minutes. Carcillo and other enforcers have very limited hockey skills apart from size and strength. They are opposite of what a hockey player should be, yet the crowds love them.

Hockey is an inherently dangerous game, but the chance of getting hurt is much greater now with the degree of hitting that has arose. Neal Goss of New Trier was a team captain and just your everyday normal student. But a cheap shot changed his life forever. In 1999 Goss was cross checked from behind, a very illegal hit that left him paralyzed from the chest down. That is one close to home example of how devastating it can be when people do not respect a sport enough to play it correctly. I am hoping that soon hockey fans will once again prefer the players finesse and skills over their ability to cause pain. As hockey is part of the entertainment industry they do conform to the fans wishes, so I believe we should try to clean up the sport of hockey and play it as was meant to be played.