so i went to an atlanta thrashers (NHL) game tonight and sat in the fourth row, behind the thrashers' bench (do they call it a bench?). clearly i got the ticket for free from a woman at work. i had never been to an NHL game before, and it was a great seat and really fun, even though i only sort of knew what was going on. my favorite part of the game was the fight in the first period. here is how it went:
some play happens that i don't see because hockey moves REALLY FAST and i was probably looking through my program to figure out who the hell was on the ice at that moment.
a thrashers player and a bruins player get pissed. they throw off their gloves. play stops. the three refs stand around near them.
both players put up their fists like you imagine people doing when they are going to fight. they circle each other. everyone in the crowd stands up and begins cheering excitedly. it appears that some people have come to the game hoping for a good fight like this.
they start throwing punches at each other. the refs stand around. the refs kick the gloves out of the way so the players don't trip on them. i am appalled. why are the refs not breaking this up? the other players from both teams stand around. if this was any other sport, the benches would have emptied by now and other players would be (a) trying to get in on the fight, or (b) trying to stop the fight. these players are just enjoying the show.
through punches and wrestling moves, the bruins player somehow knocks off the helmet of the thrashers player. i am thinking to myself, "oh, helmet off - this guy could get really hurt. the refs will stop it now." one ref kicks the helmet out of the way. the fight continues. punches are being thrown left and right. i find myself cheering when the thrashers player lands some pretty good punches on the bruins player's face.
after probably 20-30 seconds (which is a really long time when people are punching each other), the refs move in and break up the fight. both men are led to their respective penalty boxes.
in retrospect, it felt like the testosterone was so thick in the air that the refs thought, "if we let them punch each other for a while, they will feel better and cool down and we can get back to playing hockey."
but i need help: anyone know why they are allowed to do THIS in hockey but not allowed to, say, trip someone? or hit someone with their stick? or do any number of other things that are not allowed but aren't as bad as PUNCHING SOMEONE REPEATEDLY IN THE FACE? i don't get it.
(oh yeah - and the thrashers lost 4-0. lame.)
You need to download this song from iTunes:
ReplyDelete"Hocky Fight Song" by Chuck Brodsky on his album "Radio". The whole album is great, but this particular song explains the fans' reaction.
I seem to remember that several years ago some refs were injured trying to break up fights and in their next collective bargaining agreement, the refs negotiated a clause that they did not have to interject themselves between players.
It sells, baby.
ReplyDelete