Archive for January, 2010

Watch this (it’s going to anger you.)

Disgusting right? I’m FURIOUS. Cormier, the kid with the vicious elbow, is 19. Tam, who remains in hospital with a brain injury, is 18.

This isn’t the first time for Cormier. He has done this before.

My question is, when in the history of his hockey playing did he pick up the idea that this was acceptable behaviour? Never mind that many young hockey players are watching him, looking up to him as the captain of Canada’s World Juniors at IIHF this year, never mind that to watch that video turns many people’s stomachs. The fact is, THIS IS
NOT HOCKEY.

This year was the first year for Dylan’s team to be allowed to use physical contact in their games. The kids went to a body-checking clinic, were shown proper ways to hit, and warned strongly against cheap shots and hitting from behind. Some may say hitting shouldn’t be a part of hockey. Whatever. It’s in the rule books and probably never going away, so kids need to be taught the proper way to do so, not to cause harm to others but to gain control of the puck, stop shots and throw the opposing team off their game.

At the beginning of our season, one of Dylan’s teammates checked an opposing player improperly, and hard. He came off the ice in a wash of joy, and said a little too loud, “It felt good to hit that kid!”

What can I say, they are new at this checking thing and it’s probably a bit of a rush, right? They’re 11. They’re learning.

His joy was quickly extinguished by Daren, my husband and the team manager. He lit into our joyous little player, telling him it wasn’t okay to hit “just to hit” and that his hit, while it didn’t harm the other kid, was unnecessary since the puck had been at the other end of the ice. After the game Daren and the other coaches talked to the kids in the dressing room about when to hit, how to hit and made them answer questions about sportsmanship and the checking clinic they had just attended. Our team hits less than most of the teams we play, but we get less penalties and more power-plays and the kids are okay with that.

Daren plays hockey as well, and tells me all the time there are guys who get on the ice with the intention of playing dirty. They do it for the adrenaline or whatever, or sometimes they are just dickheads.

“We all have to get up and go to work the next day,” he says. “There’s no point in killing each other.”

10 years ago he watched as a guy took a skate to the jugular and nearly died in a pick-up game. While Daren is a bit of a brick wall at 6’2″ and 230 lbs of muscle and he can hold his own and rock out anyone who is being a dick on the ice, not everyone can defend themselves as effectively.

What Cormier did was inexcusable. At 19 years old, he should know better. He should be suspended until Mikael Tam can play hockey again, if not for life.

Karen Sugarpants blogs at her personal blog, Craftastrophe and MamaPop.