Violence in Hockey

On December 12, 1933 the Boston Bruins were playing the Toronto Maple Leafs. During the second period of the game Eddie Shore, who played for Boston at the time, was knocked onto the ice when he was leading a rush into the Leaf’s zone. When a penalty wasn’t called Shore got very upset and took it out on the nearest Leaf player. The unsuspecting defense man, Ace Bailey, was violently flipped backwards. Bailey’s skull was cracked and he was knocked unconscious. His injuries were serious because in 1933 a helmet was not required, therefore, players didn’t bother to wear them. When Bailey finally recovered he was never able to play hockey again. He was only able to work as an assistant penalty timekeeper at Maple Leaf Gardens. Shore only got a sixteen-game suspension for this vicious act.

Is the NHL too violent for its own good? Today hockey still sees vicious acts. Equipment has improved greatly since the Ace Bailey incident but people are still permanently injured. With all the equipment players now wear you would think that the game was all about safety but really it is not. Players act as though they are invincible. “Marty McSorley’s brutal blow was business as usual for hockey,” (Kennedy, page 25). It is now requ

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People who call it violent don’t know the game very well. Beukeboom’s concussion was so serious that he was forced to retire. If you watch football what do you call that?’” (Gran, page1). Not all punishment for these vicious acts are just penalties.

“We’re trying to turn around that old cliché that you went to a boxing match and a hockey game broke out,” says Luke Richardson. Matt Johnson who played for the Kings’ at the time sucker punched Jeff Beukeboom who played for the Rangers’ in the back of the skull. The harder they fall the more serious their injuries. The game should be about the players’ skill level and stick handling ability, not about how hard they can hit each other. “In football, if you have the ball, I’m going to tackle you,” says Fred Flemming, the Broncos’ director of special services and a former high school hockey player. The severity of the concussion depends on how hard the brain hits the skull. One of the most common injuries in hockey is a concussion. Very rarely does a physical fist fight or deliberate hit occur. “A hard hit in hockey is more accidental.

Approximate Word count = 1117
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

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