Now We'll Bring Some More Heat

The contributions of one Georges Laraque, it seems, have once more shifted the complex discussion of fighting in hockey.

That Laraque, the game's reigning heavyweight champion, has weighed in with some intriguing thoughts is meaningful, for none of the pro-fighting crowd will be able to shout him down, or claim that he has no business discussing fighting in hockey.

In an interview with TSN's Darren Dreger, Laraque called for players wearing visors to be prohibited from fighting and for fights to be stopped as soon as a player's helmet comes off.

Interestingly, Laraque said he's fully behind new regulations in the Ontario Hockey League on fighting instituted after the recent death of Whitby Dunlops defenceman Don Sanderson in a fight.

RYAN REMIORZ/THE CANADIAN PRESS

Georges knows a thing or five about fighting.

"The whole world is watching because some one in our sport has died," Laraque told Dreger. "The Ontario Hockey League made changes, so what examples are we (the NHL) providing. If we don't adjust, we're a bush league!"

In the OHL, new regulations say a player who takes off his helmet during a fight or undoes the chinstrap is liable to a one-game suspension. If a player removes his opponents helmet during a fight, he's liable to a one-game suspension and an extra two-minute penalty.

Laraque said no player without a helmet should participate in a fight.

"Every fight a guy ends up on the ground and risks hitting his head on the ice," he said. "It's simple. If the helmet comes off, or a player purposely takes it off, the ref should come in an stop the fight . . . It should be automatic . . . when the helmet comes off, the fight is over and if a guy throws a punch at a player without a helmet, he should get an extra penalty for that, too."

This is an interesting stance for Laraque to take. It comes on the heels of similar comments from NHLPA boss Paul Kelly, and shortly after NHL commissioner Gary Bettman called for a review of what he called the "rules of engagement" for NHL fighters. What Laraque must understand, of course, is that if his views were to become NHL law, less than half the players in the league - the non-visored ones - would be permitted to fight, and the circumstances under which those fights could take place would be very limited.

Given that Kelly and Bettman are also in favour of a rule that would grandfather in the use of mandatory visors, this would naturally, over time, produce the end of fighting in the NHL.

Laraque's comments add more fuel to the public debate raging over fighting in the NHL, and makes it more likely the NHL general managers meetings in Florida in early March which are expected to include a wide-ranging discussion of fighting could become very interesting.

Its the first time, really, that a big-name NHL enforcer has come out calling for tougher rules to regulate fighting.

Comments

[James]

I never had a problem with fighting in hockey and used to cheer a good donnybrook as much as the next guy. Then, I became a dad and took my 3 year old son to a Jr. B game. When a fight broke out, he became very quiet and concerned and asked me why they were hitting each other. I didn't have a good answer.

Try justifying violence against another individual to a child - you simply can't. I know that there are nuances to the game in its current incarnation that support compelling arguments for why it's necessary to protect one's teammates by dropping the gloves, but surely the rules can be enforced in a manner that make fighting unnecessary. Certainly, seeing a hockey fight occur through the eyes of a small child changed my perspective.

Hockey is an absolutely great game, and would still be so if fighting was banned outright.

[Kirill Z]

Thanks for keeping up this column, Damien. You're doing a great job and are a much needed voice in the sports media.

Re: fighting. I really like the OHL rules after watching the London-Windsor game yesterday. Players can fight, visor or no visor, but it's illegal to take someone's helmet off, and if one of players' helmet falls off during a fight, the refs come in and break it up. That said, they also allowed a fight to continue when a player's helmet fell off right at the beginning, but they stepped in after 10 seconds or so.

I think the goal should be on giving referees the discretion on whether to allow a fight to continue or not - they have to make a judgement regarding the likelihood of someone getting his head knocked on the ice. If the fight just started and someone's helmet flew off, it's OK to let them fight for a few seconds - it's unlikely one of them will fall down and injure themselves. Obviously, if someone's helmet falls down 20s into the fight, the refs should come in and break it up immediately.

[wall©rawler™,]

Hmmmmmmmm? Uhm, Uhm, ray brewer, Berard was wearing a visor when he was injured. If I remember correctly, the stick went up under the visor. If he wasn't wearing a visor, he would have probably been ok, and we wouldn't have had to put up with Bryan Mcabe as the Leafs would have probably not traded for him. I'm not saying players shouldn't wear a visor, but using Berard as an example, just don't seem to work here.

[dusty]

Have to respect BGL's input, but I feel that each player should have to REMOVE their helmets before they fight. That way the players can wear visors to protect themselves better and not be called cowards which they certainly are not. If you want to fight be a man and take off your hat.

[Joe Jacobs]

Steve:

I'm not even sure what this comment could possibly mean;
" Other successful sports rarely - IF EVER - compare their sport to others."

Is a sport supposed to be a person? Are sports being anthropomorphized? Who speaks for a 'sport'? Do you speak for all sports? And what evidence, if any, can you possibly provide to support what you are saying?

[ray brewer]

Sorry to say Wallcrawler..Berard wasn't wearing a visor at the time he was hurt..He only started wearing one after the incident..Look it up..

One thing I just don't understand is people using kids to ban fighting in the NHL...Hockey is a violent sport regardless if there is fighting or not..

[Dennis Regan]

I didn't bother reading more than two of these comments. I've had it! Tonights leaf game lasted a few minutes before Mr. May Day decided to stop a fast-moving exiting game with a dull macho-nothing. Don't all the goons do the same? Can we pay his fare to the Domi Goon Club. I'll contribute! I suggest, as I do, that with the start of each fight, we change the channel until we think the fight has stopped, and again when the next commercial begins. Isn't everything based on money? If we are not viewing the commercials, then why wouldn't the advertisers take their money elsewhere where people might watch them - football? basketball? baseball? etc? That's my route - what's yours?

[Dennis Regan]

One more thing to say before I join the real world of athletes. Why not let the big tough guys with all their built-in aggressions quickly leave the ice before they kill someone, and rush to their dressing room to find a super-big stuffed hockey player. The would be allowed two to ten minutes (depending on what that nasty player did to them on the ice) to really pound that player silly. After they have worked out all of their sillies, they would return to the bench, and possibly their coach would allow them back on the ice (if they promise not to have their team penalized again and to stop whining!).

[Mario Garistp]

The debate will rage on, and with the debate will come a moment of clarity. Fighting in hockey is part of a tradition, and being apart of that tradition is reserved for a few members of each team. Eliminate people grabbing others jerseys in a fight, and dragging a player to the ground. Change how a fight is allowed, and assess ten minute misconducts for a fight, keep players that fight off the ice longer as a consequence of their actions, from there you see only the goons fight, and not skilled players. Fighting is exciting, but make the consequence stiffer.

[GW]

Hard to believe that the NHL and the seasoned referees who control the players couldn't introduce new and stricter penalties for stick work, hits from behind, etc. if fighting were erased and this "new and dirtier" league were to rear it's ugly head. Show some confidence in the officials please.

Every other league in the WORLD outside of Canada doesn't permit fighting and every other team sport in the WORLD doesn't allow fighting, somebody please do there homework and ask these people how they put bums in their seats without knuckles. Yes, soft sports like rugby, Aussie rules, US football with no fighting I bet people who enjoy a good hockey fight wouldn't be caught dead watching one of these wimpy sports.

[ray brewer]

Hey Damian, did you see the fight between Laraque and May last night?..I thought this Laraque character was one of your minions..You don't hesitate to put him in your articles thinking he mildly supports your anti-fighting views and yet there he was in full view starting a fight with Brad May..

Laraque did all the things you despise and want removed from the game and did it all with a big smile on his face..Off a draw, for no real reason at all, he goaded May into a scrap..So much for shifting the discussion of fighting in hockey..This guy really enjoys a good scrap, just look at the smirk on his mug as he continued to punch May after his helmet fell off..

Poor ol' millionaire Laraque, a victim of the harsh reality of the NHL..Poor guy gets paid millions to drop the gloves once and awhile..Yea he looked real upset about that last night..

You actually want to chum up with this guy to support your argument?..Looks to me like the anti-fighting crowd is getting desperate..

" Its the first time, really, that a big-name NHL enforcer has come out calling for tougher rules to regulate fighting."..

Yet there he was, Georges "the angel" Laraque pounding on a guy without a helmet..Doesn't look like a guy who practices what he preaches...

You may need to hang your at on another tough guy because Mr. Laraque is as bad as they get..Long live "the game's reigning heavyweight champion". He sure looks like it..

[Robert]

Detachable visors, anyone?

[Sean Nakoneczny]

The Royal Rumbles of the 70's are gone and while it's been entertaining, fighting can certainly be phased out. Fighting seems to be a nice side atrraction to a sport that is evolving. Make the product something to watch and no one will miss fighting at all. So, open up the ice surface and give the players some room to skate and watch this sport become something that is a must see in all markets. See, that wasn't so hard afterall.

[wall©rawler™,]

Sorry Ray Brewer, you were right about the visor, just looked on youtube. My appologies.

[momo]

The game is rough, yes. Accidents will always happen in a contact sport as fast and as intense as hockey. But a fight is NEVER an accident. You cannot accidentally sucker punch a guy, or accidentally slash someone in the face repeatedly. To compare fighting with the occasional skate in the throat or stick to the face is just nonsensical.

Fighting will be a part of the game only as long as it doesn't pose enough of a liability to the team. If all a fight costs a team is the services of the fourth-line goon for the rest of the game you can be sure we won't be rid of it. When the stakes are high enough, like they are in the playoffs, fighting will disappear.

[MikeC]

The issue with fighting will not be addressed until it causes the team a problem. When players fight, weather or not it is staged, the teams cheer and afterwards the game continues. We see the same five on five we saw before the fight.

If the NHL is going to allow fighting, maybe they should make the player and the team pay the price, like all other penalties. Make them play four on four for the full five minutes. The league wants more scoring and this will open the ice for that to happen. Won't teams and players will think twice before staging fights.

[J.Ruffolo]

I am glad to hear one of the "heavyweights" in the league take a stand on this position, but I thought it was interesting that no sooner were the words out of Mr. Laraque's mouth, then he got into a fight with Brad May and tore off his helmut. I guess practicing what he preaches would be too much to ask. I am all for taking fighting out of the game as I don't think it really brings more intensity. What is wrong with just being physical?