Hockey is a sport that has been around for hundreds of years and has been played in parts of the world where the winters are harsh and unforgiving. It is a traditional game where you try to score more points than your opponent by hitting the puck (or ice ball) into the other team’s net.
Although the pace of the game has changed a great deal since it was first invented, the fundamental aim of getting the puck into the opponent’s net and causing harm to the opposing team remains.
While the game has become a lot more accessible and affordable to the average person, this has not translated to fewer fights in hockey. Quite the opposite – in fact, the opposite is true. With more people choosing to play hockey than ever before, the amount of violence in the sport has risen dramatically.
Here, we’ll explore the reasons for this phenomenon and what can be done about it.
Table of Contents
Hockey Is A Violent Sport
Firstly, let’s not kid ourselves. Hockey is a violent sport. Even the most innocuous looking moves can end up being very dangerous if dealt in the wrong way. There is also a degree of unpredictability to the sport that makes it even more exciting and engaging for the audience. If you want your match to be exciting, you can inject some danger into it by being a bit more aggressive than usual, especially towards the end of the game when your adrenaline is flowing and you want to prove that your skill is greater than your opponent’s.
The danger of getting hurt in hockey is very real, even if it is not always obvious to the naked eye. The following are just some of the ways that hockey injuries can occur:
- Getting hit by the puck
- Getting hit by another player’s stick
- Taking a hit from a checking player without delivering a first hit
- Being hit by a player while in the air
- Taking a hit from a high-sticking player
- Being struck by a deflected puck
- Being hit by a player while charging the net
- Being hit by another player while trapped between the hashmarks
- Taking a hit while fighting for the puck
- Taking a hit while defending your teammates
- Getting cross-checked by an opponent (very dangerous!)
- Getting elbowed in the head by an opponent
- Being kicked by an opponent
- Being speared by an opponent (thankfully, this happens very rarely)
- Getting hit by a falling player
- Tying Up In A Wrangle
- Being pinned by an opponent while guarding the puck
- Being struck by lightning
- Getting crushed by a player lifting you up for a hit
- Sustained injuries from playing on a slippery surface
- Being accidentally hit by a teammate on the same play
- Injuries caused by head shots
- Taking a hit while on the ground
- Being cross-checked while on the ground
- Getting knocked out in a fight (thankfully, this happens very rarely!)
It’s The Fans!
The fans play a large role in creating the atmosphere at a hockey game. Without them, the game would be a lot less exciting to watch. It is not uncommon for fights to break out among the spectators, too.
Sometimes, fans will get into fights with the players themselves. If you think that’s weird, then you’ll love what happens at the end of a game when the teams line up for the National Anthem and for one last hurrah, the crowd breaks into song and dance – including some really energetic fist pumping!
Even when the players stop fighting and put an end to the game, the fans will continue to have a go at each other in the stands. Sometimes, the fights will even extend into the parking lot. This is certainly not unique to hockey and has been a regular occurrence throughout sporting history. The only difference now is that with social media, the fans can continue the brawl after the game has ended which, in turn, often leads to arrests and ejections.
People Like To Fight In Hockey.
Hockey is a very popular sport in North America and Europe. If you Google “hockey fans” or “hockey vs hockey” there will be thousands of results to choose from. If you think there are a lot of fights in hockey, you’re right – and this is probably because people there generally enjoy being aggressive and participating in fistfights. This attitude can be attributed in part to the game’s roots as a contact sport and in part to the large number of professional sports teams in those regions; it is less common to see brawls in other sports.
However, this does not mean that all hockey fans are bloodthirsty maniacs. There are many legitimate reasons why people might want to fight in hockey. For example, if you have been skating/hockey-ing for a while and feel like you deserve a break, then you can deliver a hard hit that sends your opponent flying. This can give you the momentum you need to get the upper hand and possibly put the game into overtime or a shootout where everyone gets a chance to score.
Hockey Is A Male-Dominant Sport.
Although hockey is practiced by both men and women around the world, it has always been a male-dominated sport. Historically, the only female players that have been allowed to participate were those who were raised in families with rich hockey traditions and had the backing of their parents. Even now, women tend to play in higher-ranked amateur leagues than men.
A lot of this has to do with the way the game is structured. The emphasis is on skill rather than brute strength, meaning that players of either sex can end up being very evenly matched. In fact, this is one of the reasons why fighting has risen in popularity – men feel that they can be more effective if they fight each other instead of just playing against each other. The men’s locker rooms at the professional level are full of fistfights, which is often seen as a rite of passage for young hockey players.
It’s The Competition!
No, I don’t mean the egg-breaking competition that’s currently trending all over the place; I mean the actual sport. Like a lot of mainstream sports, hockey is a game that is all about competing and improving your skills. In fact, according to the National Hockey League, fighting is actually a form of cheating since it is against the rules. However, as I have already pointed out, this is something that has always been permitted in hockey.
In North America, where hockey is extremely popular, it is not uncommon to see people fight over petty matters. Perhaps the most famous example of this would be the Quebec – Manitoba feud that lasted for many years and involved numerous fights before being mediated by the NHL. This kind of rivalry is certainly not unique to hockey – there have been countless fistfights between fans of rival teams and even players from both sides have gotten in on the act. Sometimes, a player will even get suspended for instigating a fight even when it is someone else’s fault that the altercation started in the first place.
Hockey Is Popular Because Of Its History.
Hockey has been around for a very long time and has been played in parts of the world where the winters are harsh and unforgiving. This is why many consider it a “man’s sport” – its practitioners are generally a lot tougher than the average person. If you think that sounds like a compliment, it probably is – the general idea behind this moniker is that hockey is an old game and many people consider it to be a “polarizing” sport since it creates such a high degree of difficulty for the player who manages to master it. Additionally, many consider that it is very difficult to learn – it takes a lot of practice before you can start delivering effective hits, blocking shots, and setting up plays.
All of this adds up to why hockey is so popular. It is a difficult sport to master, which is why there are so many fights – and injuries as a result of those fights. It is also a polarizing sport, meaning that even when you play against another team, it is not uncommon for the fans to start arguing about something after the game ends. Be careful out there, people!
Hopefully, this article will shed some light on why there are so many fights in hockey and how this year’s flu pandemic may have something to do with it. Let us know in the comment section below what you think and we would love to hear from you!