Level of Ick

I am fairly certain the Phoenix Coyotes were scheduled to play Edmonton on Saturday night. In fact, looking at my handy magnetic schedule given out at each preseason game this year it shows that we were indeed supposed to host the Oilers. However, something must have come up because not one of the Coyotes showed up to play.

Technically they were there, we all saw them. But in the best sense of the word, no one actually played. In fact, the only players I can distinctly remember being on the ice were Roloson & Penner (and him only because every time I see him it's tradition to yell, "PENNERSQUEE" at him). Let me just point out that I was pretty out of it to begin with and so picking single players out of the crowd was not my strong point. Add to that the fact that we were sucking it up royally and you have me sitting around doing anything but paying attention to the game.

However, a few things stood out to me and I thought I would share with all you fine people so that you might enjoy the few things my team DID manage to stumble through.

1) Turnovers. Keith Yandle, my dear rookie, is going to give me an aneurysm from all the yelling at him for his brain farts. I love the kid to death but I'm really starting to understand why, at the beginning of the season, the Powers That Be were saying that he's very talented and needs to work on his defense.

2) Aforementioned brain farts. Ed Jovanovski (Jovocop) hasn't been playing too horribly lately. He's managed to stay healthy and hasn't given the masses many reasons to make up clever nicknames for all his stupid moves (Special Ed, etc.) However, last night wasn't his greatest game. I can't place all the blame on him, though. Like I said, no Coyotes were even present last night. We'll just leave it there.

3) Temper-tantrums. For once Carcillo (my middle name is misconduct) wasn't the one losing his cool. Sticks were flying last night, literally. My boy Bryz! slammed his (with warrior strength) into the glass behind the net when he let in a goal. I love the passion, truly. The almost taking off the ref's head I wasn't such a huge fan of. Not too long after that, Derek Morris broke his stick over the net when an empty netter was allowed.

Be nice to the sticks boys, it's not their fault you guys were having a crap night.

All in all, a 3 hour waste of my life. We really needed this win. I can only console myself with the fact that Roli turned around and beat the SJ Sharks, so it wasn't just a fluke for us.

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SNORT!

Because, really, doesn't everyone need a little socialized ass kicking?


(joke's in the bottom panel)

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Jordin TooToo Acts a Fool

(x-posted to Objectionable Conduct)

I've been doing a lot of thinking recently (scary thought I know - but dumb blondes who party with the boys are actually capable of thinking) about why fighting is acceptable in hockey.

You see the incident pictured above occured last night during a game between Dallas and Nashville (bad TooToo Train bad) and it will, inevitably, lead to another storm of controversy about why fighting is acceptable in hockey when it is not acceptable in any other professional sport.

First of all, I would like to point out that that is not entirely true. Bench clearing brawls are as much a part of baseball as fighting is in hockey. Fighting is completely acceptable in the NLL as well (National Lacrosse League).

However, my thinking has led me to several conclusions about fighting in hockey, and why you cannot eliminate it from the game.

Many people ask why fighting isn't acceptable in basketball, but it is in hockey? Many people then bring about the issue of race - the majority of basketball players are of African descent, while the majority of hockey players are as white as the ice they play on.

I don't see this as a race issue at all, I see it as a logistics issue. Look at the seating at your typical basketball game. There are courtside seats, and nothing between the players and the fans. When basketball players brawl, it inevitably spills over into the stands. Someone not involved in the game gets hurt or worse, does something stupid and gets involved.

Now look at a hockey arena. The glass seperates the fans from the players. The gates keep players off the ice from getting involved. There are rules about leaving the bench during a fight. Those who are not involved are not going to get involved, nor will they get hurt.

What about football? You ask. The simple fact is, there are plenty of dirty shots in the pile ups that officials don't see. There is so much contact in football (more so then hockey) that the need to fight simply isn't there. Add to it the fact that the average play in football last no more then 30 seconds and there's a whistle?

Well it makes it hard to really start anything. The pace of the game simply doesn't allow for it. Not to mention the number of people on the sidelines at games - despite the seperation of fans from the players there are any number of people on the sidelines at most pro football games and much of the security is in the stands. Someone who wasn't supposed to be involved would get hurt.

In soccer, you have to eliminate fighting, because, world wide, what happens on the field spreads to the stands and then to the streets, without fail. Vancouver and Montreal have both experienced hockey riots. This escalation in violence has resulted in the Italian League going on a brief haitus this year. It is this without fail escalation that makes fighting unacceptable in soccer.

In baseball, the pace of the game doesn't really allow for regular, boiling over anger. However there are still occaisions when players charge the mound and the benches clear. That is viewed as a part of baseball in much the same way that fighting is a part of hockey. You cannot eliminate it from the game.

I maintain that fighting isn't just about violence. It's about passion and emotion - either feeling it or creating it in the building to help your team.

I don't believe that trying to put a stop to fighting will do ANYTHING to prevent incidents like the Chris Simon incident OR the Jordin TooToo incident. Sometimes people do stupid things. They happen in every sport. Ron Artest did something stupid in Detroit. Carmello Anthony did something stupid in New York. Plenty of football players (can you tell I don't really follow then NFL? Except during playoffs of course) have done stupid things in practice, fighting with teammates. Not to mention the spitting. I seriously don't understand what it is with football players spitting on each other.

Stupidity is the most destructive force in the history of humanity, and unfortunately we cannot eliminate stupidity without even more big brother style interference.

One of my favourite authors wrote these words for one of her characters:

"He was stupid. If I killed everyone who was stupid, I wouldn't have time to sleep." - Alanna of Trebond/Tamora Pierce

We can't eliminate stupidity. It just isn't possible, and to me the problem in the NHL isn't the fighting. Its the stupidity of some of the people doing the fighting.

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