When Athletes Attack: Violence and Fighting in the NHL

The NHL suspended Washington Capital Donald Brashear for six games for shoving New York Ranger Colton Orr and delivering a blindside hit to Blair Betts in Game 6 of the quarterfinals.

Pittsburgh Penguin Chris Kunitz avoided suspension for a crosscheck to the head of Capital rookie goaltender Semyon Varlamov in Game 2 in the semifinals, but the league did fine Kunitz $2,500.

Carolina Hurricanes forward Scott Walker was fined $2,500, but not suspended, for slugging Boston Bruins defenseman Aaron Ward in the face in Game 5 in the semifinals.

What makes athletes viciously attack their opponents?

“All professional athletes are looking for just one thing: an edge over their opponent. If they feel doing these crazy things gives them an edge, they’ll do it,” said Noah St. John, Ph.D., who works with athletes and professionals and is the author of The Secret Code of Success.

Playing sports brings out the competitive side of many athletes.

“Some athletes are flat and anger gets them pumped up. However, too much anger can be destructive,” explains Gregg Steinberg, Ph.D., sport psychologist, professor of sport psychology, and author of Flying Lessons.

While deviant behavior is neither standard unless addressing the antics of Sean Avery nor should violence be tolerated, violence in hockey has become much more prevalent. Many fans attend hockey games to watch a fight or at least loads of hard checking. “I went to a fight the other night, and a hockey game broke out,” wisecracked the late comedian Rodney Dangerfield.

However, there is a distinct difference between a violent act—abusive or unjust behavior by an athlete upon an opponent—and fighting—individuals willingly engaged in fisticuffs—in hockey.

Hockey is a physical, fast-paced game whereby, almost like children, one minute, players are playing nicely and the next, WWIII has erupted into a spectacular ice show, but destructive behavior exhibited by Brashear, Kunitz, and Walker are unacceptable [and the NHL should fine and suspend players equally and fairly].

Fighting, on the other hand, has been argued to serve an important purpose of hockey.

According to hockeyfights.com, there had been 734 fights in the 2008-09 postseason, 28 for the Washington Capitals.

Fighting has become a controversial aspect of the game. The issue dominated two-thirds of the annual general managers meeting in March.

The differences in perspectives on fighting argue that fighting is gratuitous and alternatively that the fighting ritual serves a purpose—fighting deters acts of disrespect and dirty play.

The Code: The Unwritten Rules Of Fighting and Retaliation In the NHL provides endless quotes about the code that governs the play, physicality, and rules of retaliation in play.

Hockey is the only team sport that tolerates fighting although Rule 56 stipulates a variety of penalties on players who engage in fights.

Overall, the NHL should not tolerate violence in hockey. Fighting, on the other hand, should be one narrow slice of hockey but not treated as a trivial matter when it results in severe bodily harm or death.