On Fisticuffs

How long did you think it'd take for the 'ban fighting" debate to start this season? Did you guess halfway into the first game of the season? If so, you're either lucky, or you should come to Saratoga with me next summer and give me betting advice.

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The Death Of "Old Time Hockey"?

The Hanson brothers know Old Time Hockey

Reading the newest issue of The Hockey News, a letter was published that read like a eulogy of “Old Time Hockey”.  As I read it, I had to laugh at the guy’s complaint.  He said, “no longer do we see bench brawls, blindside hits, or breaking sticks over backs”.  He goes on to bemoan the newest trends of hockey, “visors, shootouts, and Twitter” and that the game has been “diminished to the point where players now have to consider the consequences of a hit, instead of the adulation”.

I shake my head at these people. I can’t figure out why they are sad these days are gone.  Do I like a fight or two?  Yeah sure, but to unnecessarily break up the flow of a game; I’ll pass on that.  There’s no skill to whacking a guy with your stick, but there is finesse in today’s game.  Honestly, if I want to go see staged antics and guys wailing on each other for 60 minutes, I’ll turn on WWE’s RAW on Monday nights. 

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