Bah. Another former brawler speaks out against the “pansification” of the game.

I like how he talks about mullets, missing teeth and scars turning him on but that his idol was Gretzky. He covers it up by sucking up to Chelios shortly after that but the point is made. His idol is a skill guy. But he wants to be a thug, because he didn’t have the skill.

I know everyone loves to give stories on how Gordie Howe would plant a guy with an elbow if they ever stole the puck from him - or maybe that was just my dad - but that’s not the style of hockey I want to see. I watch UFC for that type of action.

The game now is light years more exciting than it used to be. The players are bigger, faster and better. And they’re still tough as nails. I would argue that even with all the protective gear, the players take more punishment in the game today than they did in the past. And sure, Tie Domi, Chris Nilan, etc aren’t in the league anymore. But there’s Ian Laperriere, Chris Neil, and more to replace them.

I think it’s good to have voices on both sides of the debate b/c the answer is always somewhere in the middle, but going back to the “good ol’ days” is not a solution.

And the funny thing is, as much as everyone hates Gary Bettman, he’s always been a proponent of keeping puck battles in as part of the game. Hmm, could the guy being doing a decent job of balancing the cries from both sides on this one?

Posted by Shane from Saskatoon on 04/07/09 at 11:43 PM ET

Agree with Shane. I like PJ, but I think he is wrong on this one hands down. The game never had a problem before with people getting hit to the head. We do now because some of the players in this league lack respect for each other.

PJ you should be preaching respect to your fellow grinders and enforcers plus everyone else in the league.

Posted by Performance Parts on 04/08/09 at 07:38 AM ET

Why does this keep coming up? The problem is the mentality of the players, not the rules, not the way the rules are called, and not fighting in general. It’s the attitude that players have where every “hard” hit requires “retribution”. Hitting is a part of the game. Players should all know that. And as such, just because a star player takes a tough check, like Malkin last week or Markov the other night, it doesn’t mean that instantly the player that threw the check should have to fight. If it’s a hard, but fair, hit, there shouldn’t be any of this “retribution” garbage.

Fighting itself is fine and has an important place in the game. It’s the circumstances that lead to fighting nowadays that seem silly. Players need to get over themselves and realize that yes, they can be hit hard, and yes, they will be hit hard. There are very few players that are good enough to just not get hit. Even Nick Lidstrom got rung up by Laperierre last season, and he’s only been hit hard maybe twice in his career because he moves the puck so quickly and is so apt to burn you of you put yourself out of position.

If a guy is running around all game, hitting everything in sight, I see fighting as a sensible option because it can be a way of sending the message that, okay, you can’t just play physical with us and expect to win that way. But when guys are enraged over these single hits in isolation, like the Ballard hit on Malkin, and think that instantly everyone should just brawl, it’s stupid.

Posted by Nathan from the scoresheet! on 04/08/09 at 08:09 AM ET

Another idiotic, pants-wetting, sky-is-falling, OMG-whatever-happened-to-real-hockey-players-like-Marty-McSorley!11!!, traditionalist rant. Do these guys get paid extra by the word when they write this lowest-common-denominator bullshit?

Fighting is a no-no now, hitting someone who is watching their pass is a crime and body checking someone in the head … purgatory.

And that’s all the fault of…who exactly? He’s acting like there’s this nefarious figure behind a curtain somewhere pulling levers and flipping switches, forcing the league to make players wear dresses. These changes to the game have been imposed from within, but I guess it’s a hell of a lot easier to blame some invisible, undefinable bogeyman for “ruining the game”. I can see why the CBC hired this guy. He’s right up their alley.

The league is as exciting right now as it’s ever been. Get the f*ck over it.

Posted by Mandingo from The Garage on 04/08/09 at 08:48 AM ET