I keep pushing this book because it truly changed the way I view hockey games. In fact, if I read this book around 2003-04, I would have understood the tragic events that plagued the game.
We know that event and I really won’t go into much detail except to serve as a reference point for later.
The book in question is a book written by Ross Bernstein and is titled The Code: The Unwritten Rules of Fighting and Retaliation in the NHL. In fact, I’m re-reading it just to make sure I can understand the context of Friday’s riot between the Islanders and the Penguins.
Since Twitter blew up with the two camps throwing feces at each other, I think those of us that don’t care about these two teams (yes, my disdain for the Penguins is mainly for show, I just don’t care for one person – and his name is not Sidney Crosby), can weigh in more objectively than those are intimately involved, and that includes Mr. Snow and Mr. Lemieux.
It will be a few days until I can gather this context, but my purpose to again offer improvements to the game system. Unfortunately, my debate will most likely be with myself and in a very small locale as again, I don’t have a huge network or a huge following, but at least, someone will surf on in here and read what I wrote. Hopefully, my analysis will be close.
So here is my multi-part hypothesis:
- The events of Friday night actually started Feb. 2. And if Feb. 2 was handled the right way, the situation on the 11th would not have occured.
- The Islanders broke the unwritten code of hockey enforcement, but so did the Penguins. Both parties are equally culpable.
- Removal of the Instigator Penalty could have prevented some players’ actions.
- If things don’t change soon, we’ll get another version of 2003-04, and no one wants that.
What did spook me a little about that game is that the way the structure of that game was handled by the participants, it resembled that night where Steve Moore was severely injured. Re-reading The Code: The Unwritten Rules of Fighting and Retaliation in the NHL really illustrated that point for me.
I think every fan wants to know the balance of what is acceptable aggression and what isn’t; essentially the debate should be at what lengths can players protect their teammates and what the league can do to protect everyone on the ice.
The debate should come from reasoned logic and not from unbridled emotion. It’s the only way we might see change in the NHL.
Original Story:
http://onefansperspective.com/2011/02...
