Desperate times in Dixie

After losing to Carolina on Saturday, Atlanta GM Don Waddell wasted no time in making two significant deals, bringing in centre Keith Tkachuk and defenceman Alexei Zhitnik.

This isn't about winning a Cup, necessarily. This is about just making the playoffs, a surprising state of affairs for a team that once owned a 16-point lead on the Tampa Bay Lightning but could experience a total housecleaning if the Thrashers don't qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in team history.

Tkachuk's a better winger than a centre, but Atlanta wants him to play in the middle. He also has no record of playoff success.

Zhitnik, meanwhile, forced Waddell to cough up defence prospect Braydon Coburn to the Philadephia Flyers, who now have Coburn, Ryan Parent, Joni Pitkanen and others to build a nice blueline around.

In Coburn and the bushel of draft picks they gave St. Louis for Tkachuk, the Thrashers have made an enormous sacrifice just to try to get into the playoffs. Waddell, having been involved in U.S. international hockey effects, knows just how big a risk the volatile Tkachuk can be.

And on a completely unrelated point. . .

I know its almost a complete waste of time to try to reason and talk logic with those who adore fighting in hockey.

They may be the minority, but they sure scream louder than the majority. Most of their arguments either accuse those who think differently of being homosexual or suggest that those who don't believe in hockey pugilism should watch figure skating.

But most of the cavemen also fervently believe - or say they do - that the mere presence of an enforcer in a team's lineup serves as deterrent and protects the skill players.

Sadly, even those who should know better are using this argument to push the notion that the Pittsburgh Penguins need to get a goon to ride shotgun for Sidney Crosby before the trade deadline.

Well, for those who believe this myth, answer this:

If goons really are a deterrent and keep the skill players safe, why oh why, with Andrew Peters in the Buffalo lineup, was Chris Drury knocked silly by Chris Neil?

Just wondering.

Comments

[Ruppster]

Damien: Great story line, keep it up. However, based on Bettman et als approach on hockey (installing the netting behind the goal areas after a tragic incident, even after nobody died at the end seats at MLG), the only way this league will deal with this is when a player dies as a result of a fight. I was at ACC when Newbury was hurt. I'm a typical mid 40's Canadian dad like yourself. It's not what I want to see in hockey anymore. But honestly Damien, I know they don't have the courage (quoting you from The Reporters today) to deal with this. I presume the standard contract includes a clause that you can't sue the NHL if killed in a fight. Let's hope that night ever happens.

[Ian]

Good Comment by Damien. I've always liked his column, it's about time that the Hockey culture in Canada moved past some of these anachronisms that we call traditions. Perhaps when CBC loses the contract....

[Andrew Barrie]

Damien, where are your statistics that say hockey fans who enjoy fighting are in the minority?

I don't believe that. That's not what I see when I watch games, unless by the minority, you mean the fans who go and attend games. but that's not true either, because as most blue collar stiffs, my friends and I rarely can afford to see a game (and by rarely, I mean I had to go to Ottawa last year to see the leafs for the first time ever, and not again since, luckily the 4-3 loss, not one of the 7-0, 8-1 blowouts) and we all enjoy a good fight.

All i have is anecdotal evidence, but that's more than even you've provided. As far as I can tell, all you've done extrapolated a consensus on fighting from the majority based on your own beliefs.

Back it up with some stats next time. run a poll in the Star, actually guage the reactions of the audience of both leaf fans and Toronto Star readers, and then you can use those facts to back your opinion up, or as I suspect, not so much.

[Andrew Spencer]

I don't care for fighting in hockey per se, but I must admit I found the Buffalo-Ottawa scrum last Thursday as exciting as it was stupid. Maybe therein lies a simple truth about your average hockey fan.

I'm inclined to agree w/ Ruppster's comment that as long as CBC's HNIC promotes fighting to the degree that it does it will undoubtedly remain popular. Heck, even HNIC's theme song is that gawd-awful Nickelback cover of the ol' Elton John tune "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting". What more do you need? Meanwhile, TSN, Sportsnet, The Score, were no better. They did their best to capitalize on the moment.

I figure unless the NHL decides to truly clamp down on fighting it'll persist and be promoted with much fanfare. It's the passion that unites. Non?

[Jim Maron]

Hockey as a pure sport is not very good because there is so little control of the puck. So much of the outcome of the game is predicated on the weird bounce or deflection of the puck.

When you take fighting and thuggery out of the game you compete for the entertainment dollar with the NFL, NBA and MLB. Hockey just doesn't stack up against those sports for the reasons I've mentioned. It's too arbitrary to all but the very educated.

When you add in goon tactics you are dipping into the other pot of sports entertainment dollars - wrestling, ultimate fighting, etc. I'm against fighting in hockey, but financially I don't think "pure hockey" is much of a sell.

[geoff spriggs]

Andrew Peters although a willing combatant is not what many consider an elite enforcer Damien.I don't think Chris Neil is afraid of him.If Georges Laroque played for Buffalo,I can tell you that Neil may have run Druery but he would have seriously,physically regretted it and rightfully so.
On the Fan 590 you made the statement that when the game is played at the highest level(s) that there is no fighting.I think you confuse NHL expansion era hockey with Olympic hockey.82 games of end to end highest level elite hockey?? You're dreaming.
Go to a modern day Sabres vs. Bruins game.In the bad old days (in your opinion)where there was more frequent fighting and stars like Orr Esposito,Perreault,and Martin played it was three exciting periods and a great show with a little of everything for the ticket buyer.Today it's a snorefest where most fans are thinking about the next days work or the drive home by the end of the second period.
Also...
Take a look at the tape again Damien,looks to me like the Toronto players stick was being held and leg scissored by Dipietro.He was pissed at Pony for being in the crease and holding him up.He NEVER thought that Mats could make that shot.Mats did and Kerry Fraser embarassed himself again for all to see.Isn't it interesting that seems to happen alot.How that man keeps his job is proof to me that the NHL isn't really serious about the quality of the product.

[J. Brown]

Anyone who believes fighting is a necessary part of the game should observe the conspicuous absence of fighting in U.S. college and Canadian University hockey. In my 3 years participating I was witness to 1 fight. Not sure of the reason? Perhaps the penalty for fighting is so stiff that no one dares engage unless they like watching from the press box. Most collegiate players come from junior hockey where fighting is prevalent, however, fighting mysteriously disappears once these same players hit the collegiate level. Maybe the academic standards keep the goons out..who knows? I believe its a matter of the type culture that a particular league decides to promote.

[Ivan]

To say that the majority of fans don't like fighting makes the same mistake the NHL does in it's attempt to market the league in non traditional hockey markets, to non hockey fans. The problem lies in the definition of the term "fans". It may be true that the casual, or potential viewer may not care for fighting, but more than likely this person is not really a fan to begin with, and more than likely never will be. Yet the NHL is determined to win these people over, and for the last two years has been throwing everything but the kitchen sink at them, in an attempt to blindly guess at what these people want to see, and then provide it for them. Meanwhile, the true hockey fan is ignored, because the NHL knows that the true fans will remain dedicated to the game regardless of the repeated attempts by the league to make the game appealing to the main stream. Hockey is hockey, either you like it or you don't. Fighting has been a popular and relevant part of the game for decades, and I would submit that the people like yourself who advocate its removal from the game are in fact the vocal minority, not the other way around as you suggest.

[John Richardson]

Mr. Maron

You've obviously never played hockey.

Weird bounces and deflections (some of them planned) are the exception to the rule in hockey.

Control of the puck is the essence of the game and good decision making ultimately determines success.

Hockey is controlled chaos but there is nothing arbitrary about it whatsoever.

[Iain Wood]

I have a theory.

I believe there's two types of people: those who are against fighting, and those who have actually played the game competitively.

I also would hazzard a guess that those who are anti-fighting watched the many, many replays of the Buffalo-Ottawa game. Oh I'll bet there were tut-tuts as you were glued to the TV -... "What thugs! How pointless! They should ban fighting! Martha come here and see this! Why don't they do something? Look - here it is again! shhh..."

Fighting -

Players endorse it. Fans watch it. Writers can't leave it alone.

[Doogie2K]

More than anything, Damien, I do get bored with the constant harping on fighting. You don't like it. That's fine. We get it. Not all of us agree, but some do. Now, do we need the point beaten to death with nearly every post? It's like you pick those stories specifically to talk about at every opportunity. Your schtick is getting just as tiring as Don Cherry's.

[charade]

Although it was a touch off topic I do think that Jim Maron's comment is pretty valid.

I've often been watching a hockey game and thought 'If I knew nothing about this game it would seem like a big mess.'

I can take a non-sports watching lady friend to a Raptors game and aside from a few tricky basketball rules she can 'get it' within a few minutes.

Basketball and football also benefit from having the star players on the field for much longer periods of time as well as having defined moments when they leave or come back on.

I know we are all supposed to say how much we hate American TV broadcasts but I think NBC's 'shift clock' for stars is a fantastic idea.

I expect many 'Well bugger them if they don't get it, put teams in Halifax, Hamilton, and Regina!!!" comments but that's not going to happen anytime soon so maybe we should think of ways to make the game more appealing to semi-fans.

I think the NHL thinks that fighting is one of these ways. They could be right.

[Webluker]

From Damien's blog:

>Sadly, even those who should know better are using this argument to push the notion that the Pittsburgh Penguins need to get a goon to ride shotgun for Sidney Crosby before the trade deadline.

>Well, for those who believe this myth, answer this:

>If goons really are a deterrent and keep the skill players safe, why oh why, with Andrew Peters in the Buffalo lineup, was Chris Drury knocked silly by Chris Neil?

>Just wondering.

From a story in today's Sports section:

"Maurice said it was typical that infractions against Sundin go uncalled.

"He has to lose at least part of his body to get a call there," said Maurice. "The linesman saw it but he's not allowed to call something unless there's enough blood or an injury.""

Anyone notice that since Domi's departure (due to age and a change in team philosophy) Sundin has been subjected to more high sticks, hooking and general careless stick work this year? Often not called by the referees?

AFIAK, no one ever complained about missed high sticking calls on Sundin before this year.

Just wondering.

Damien has made a false assumption. I think he's saying that adding a goon implies all your best players will never, ever, be subjected to abuse.

The reality is that adding a physical deterrent player (aka goon) means the level of abuse directed against your best players _will be reduced_. It won't go away entirely, but instead of being high sticked every other or every 3rd game as is the case now, Sundin gets high sticked once a month or twice a year.

For years I agreed with the anti-fighting side, but after watching Gretzky get checked from behind into the boards, Crosby being hacked and slashed, and Sundin getting cut every week, I've switched sides.

IMO, the new rules, combined with the elimination of the instigator rule, would really allow the best players to showcase their talent.

[SPQ]

Damien I think you suffer from a condition known as cranial rectum inversion the acronym being CRI (ie your head is stuck straight up your ass). Sometimes I agree with you but when you go and make a statement so foolish and ridiculous like the majority of hockey fans don’t like fighting your credibility goes down the tubes like K-Fed’s street cred. Where is your proof? Do you have any polls to back this up? Did you complete a recent study that you haven’t released? Every single poll I’ve seen or been a part of where the question is clear “Do you think fighting should be a part of hockey”, the overwhelming majority replied yes. In fact, the Hockey News just published a poll a few issues back where at least 70% of respondents voted yes. Did you miss that poll? Here’s an idea Damien, next time a fight breaks out change the channel. When I see something on TV I don’t care for say Sex in the City (which I’m guessing is your favorite show) I change the channel. Your whining about fighting is becoming tiresome. I didn’t see anyone scurrying to the exit in Buffalo the other night when a few fights broke out. Maybe you did but then again you don’t pay for tickets do you Damien. In addition, claiming Leafs Nation favorite whipping boy Kerry Fraser made the right call on the Island is asinine. Witt was clearly shoving Poni into the goalie while DiPietro held onto his leg. Bad call by a bad ref plain and simple. Finally, if you want people to stop calling you a homo because your anti fighting then maybe you should stop calling the pro fighting side (clearly the majority and always will be) cave dwellers.