It was April 15th, 1976. The Stanley Cup playoff Series between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Philadelphia Flyers was everything Leafs fans hoped for. The Broad Street Bullies were the league’s toughest, known for physicality, pugilism and downright goon hockey. But the once-tough Leafs had rediscovered their grit. No longer did Flyers heavies Dave Schultz, Don Saleski and Bob “Mad Dog” Kelly run roughshod over the Leafs as they had for years. They were met by the likes of Dave “Tiger” Williams, Kurt Walker and Scott Garland.
As a teenage kid, I loved it.
When Wendel Clark took the NHL by storm in 1985 as a 19-year-old rookie, I was fortunate to be working in the Leafs front office. Again, a Leafs team that had been a little “soft” in the early 1980’s hardened as Clark took on all comers, including heavyweights John Kordic, Rick Tocchet and Behn Wilson.
As a Leafs employee, I loved it.
Sitting on the Sportsnet set last Friday with Daren Millard and Brad May, we watched as the Washington Capitals pummelled the Philadelphia Flyers, 7-0. We expected the Flyers to try and send some kind of message—likely a fight. Steve Downie had fought earlier and looked to be injured, but would that be it? Soon Philly’s Wayne Simmonds scrapped with the Capitals’ Tom Wilson. Then all hell broke loose on the ice—seven fighting majors in the third period, a blowout that could have rolled to a stop ended with a bang.
As a broadcaster and hockey fan, I loved it.
With more people weighing in with opinions on whether fighting belongs in the NHL, I’ll offer my take. Personally, I can live without it if they ever eliminate it. But I have to admit to loving those classic hockey fights.
Last Friday, I loved the Simmonds-Wilson scrap. I give a youngster like Brayden Schenn and a veteran like Vinny Lecavalier credit for stepping in and fighting for the pride of their team. The Flyer fans loved it and gave the team a standing ovation even though they lost 7-0.
But there are limits. There always have been. On April 15th, 1976—in that tough-as-nails Flyers-Leafs series—Philly’s Mel Bridgman sidestepped the likes of Leafs Williams, Walker and Garland to, quite frankly, assault Toronto star Borje Salming. Salming had no interest in fighting and it was nothing more than a gutless one-sided attack—so much so that the Attorney General of Ontario charged Bridgman with assault.
So, last Friday, while Simmonds and Wilson was a fair fight, Flyer goaltender Ray Emery skating the length of the ice to assault and beat the crap out of Washington goaltender Braden Holtby was not. Like Borje Salming years earlier, Hotlby had no interest in fighting. And so he shouldn’t have been made to fight. Period.
In a world where the full extent of issues surrounding head injuries is only beginning to be understood, there is a justified focus on rule changes, medical treatment, appropriate equipment and increased education to help treat and prevent concussions. In this climate, not beating an unwilling and defenseless opponent should be a given. Holtby took numerous blows to the head as he was, essentially, assaulted. Curiously referee Francois St. Laurent did little to intervene. What if Holtby had been injured? What if, to take it to the extreme, he had died?
It’s possible: A few years ago there was a tragedy at a Toronto area high school rugby game wherein a 16-year-old boy died at the hands of another 16-year-old because of an altercation after the play. The judge was lenient in sentencing the accused (who actually plays in the NHL today) but still found him guilty. The rationale was that, while there is an understanding of implied risk in playing a sport, things that occur outside the course of play itself are different.
That includes being attacked and assaulted and basically having the crap beaten out of you. That includes Ray Emery going the length of the ice to pummel Braden Holtby.
This issue will be in the spotlight in a big way moving forward, as Steve Moore’s civil litigation against Todd Bertuzzi gets closer to a court date. Moore, you’ll remember, was on the receiving end of a Bertuzzi sucker punch, in 2006. He never played again.
Luckily, Braden Holtby seems fine. But it shouldn’t have to come down to luck.