In my first blog I talked about how I felt hockey was in a state of emergency. How I felt that hockey needed to add more character back into the game, character being honor, respect, integrity, heart, and accountability.
While I did mention a few ways that we can fix the game, I believe that a far more in depth look needs to be taken, in order to fully do justice to the sport I love the most.
Until I feel this topic has been properly addressed, each day I will attempt to add my two cents or five on how I believe we can fix the game and bring it back to its glory days.
Up top I used words like honor, respect, and accountability, to describe what I felt was missing in today’s NHL. Here’s why.
In the past 20010/20011-season hockey headlines were completely inundated by the latest scourge to the game, concussions. Everyday I’d turn into hockey radio shows doing nothing but focusing on the latest “dirty hit” and whether the punishment was severe enough. And it didn’t seem to matter how long the suspension was or how much the fine was, the concussion issue just seemed to get worse.
You know the game is in trouble when the biggest star in the league Sidney Crosby, is taken out for the season by one such hit. No one got suspended, no one stood up for him. It was a disgrace. It meant open season on star players. In the old days accident or not, the tough guys in the league would have mauled the guy who hit Crosby. Making anyone who even hinted about hitting a star player think long and hard. You know… like my marriage…just kidding honey….love ya!
But seriously that’s what I mean by respect, honor, and accountability. Where are all the enforcers? They’re all but dead, and the game killed them.
Back in the day they used to say that all you had to do was beat Doug Gilmour in the face-off circle and Wendell Clarke or Tie Domi, would beat you up. What happened to that? Now what all the so-called tough guys do, is pick fights with each other. What good does that do? “Hey buddy you just knocked out our best player, you better keep your head up because I’m going to fight your tough guy!” Where’s the accountability there?
Time to change the culture of the game. Drop the instigator rule. Or maybe we can alter it. Instead of calling it the instigator we can call it “the right to enforce rule.” This rule would allow an immediate response to a “dirty play”. For instance if a player hit your star forward from behind, your enforcers and they should get a letter on their jersey’s to signify that’s who they are, are allowed to jump off the bench if need be, in order to exact punishment in the form of a fair challenge. No right to refusal, if the challenged player decides to turtle then he gets the 5-minute major and a game misconduct penalty. Then the league can look at the play and decide what further punishment needs to be included.
This new “Right to enforce rule” would give purpose back to the enforcer, take some pressure off the officials and the league, appease the fans and players a like. But most importantly protect the star player and bring back some honor, and respect into the game it so badly needs.
This is but one solution. I’ll be posting several more in the coming weeks.
Thanks for reading!
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