March 22, 2004
Schultz Speaks
Last week, the New York Times let Hall of Famer Mike Bossy speak his piece about violence in the NHL. This week, America's newspaper of record allowed some equal time for one of the game's more infamous characters -- ex-Philadelphia Flyers enforcer, Dave Schultz.
While the ex-Broad Street Bully condemns Todd Bertuzzi's attack on Steve Moore, he also made sure to tack on a defense of fighting in the game:
Let's face it: respect is worth fighting for. Players are supposed to stand up for something, build something and protect what is theirs. As far as I'm concerned, fighting is one of the more celebrated traditions of hockey. It is what keeps things civil, on a basic human level of understanding and respect in competition.
It's difficult to watch the league stray so far from its roots. It all comes down to the players and their right to police themselves. We need to respect this. We need to remember the game's past, embrace it and shape the game more in the likeness of what it was meant to be.
Fighting has always had its place in the game. I hope it always will.
Despite what many outsiders think, the game has evovled by leaps and bounds since the days when Schultz and his buddies brawled their way to a pair of titles in the mid-1970s. But after listening to Ron McLean's interview with Ken Dryden on the CBC a weekend ago, I wonder if we don't have to do something, anything, to shake up the board when it comes to the state of the game.
So how about this? Why not four-on-four all the time. You can't increase the ice surface, so why not subtract a player, and force them to defend more of the ice surface? Leave your comments below.
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Keep bringing that interview up. Please. And can Dryden be commissioner?
Posted by:
at March 22, 2004 09:22 AM
I still think the easiest ways to increase scoring chances and clean up the game are to change the rule governing stick curves and to make players stay in the box for the full duration of their penalties. That will either force players to clean up their play or boost scoring, if not both. Either chances would go up because there would be less clutching and grabbing or the powerplay would become the ultimate hockey tool.
Posted by:
at March 22, 2004 11:08 AM
Bossy has another article about cleaning up the game in the Toronto Star, while Nick Kypreos has the Schultz-esque reply. Not much new here, though.
As far as overhauling the game is concerned, I say do it... I'm just not sure Bettman et. al. is unhappy enough with the state of the game to do it.
Posted by:
at March 22, 2004 12:37 PM
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