Women's ice hockey knows how to "inspire" little fans

I’m no fan of ice hockey. Although I hear it told that the sport is exciting to watch live in an arena, on the small screen it is difficult to keep track of the action, making it dull fare for all but committed fans. Of course, there have been efforts in the past to liven-up the proceedings. “Old Time Hockey” became a euphemism for a time when hockey was a “gentlemen’s” game focusing on skill. In the 1970s, hockey changed into a game of brute force, where “enforcers” were deployed, expected to physically intimidate and even injure opponents. In 1976, the Soviet Union's Red Army team was so stunned by unexpected "unsportsmanlike" conduct that resulted in one of their players being  knocked out in an exhibition game against the Philadelphia Flyers--known at the time to be the "dirtiest" team in the NHL--that they walked off the ice and went home.

Ramming into walls, cracking skulls, breaking noses, loosening up teeth and fist fights in general became an expected part of the “entertainment.” Fighting in hockey became so infamous that a movie was made about it, which I was reminded of by the recent release of the Paul Newman comedy Slap Shot on Blu-ray disc. Although it is not quite at the level it once was, it isn’t hockey without at least one brawl per game.

Which leads me to the point of this post. Some people might be surprised to learn that there are now women’s hockey teams, especially to those who don’t pay attention to hockey at all. But it is true. Some major universities field women’s teams, and quite often their opponents are tiny colleges of which only people who live within a ten-mile radius of the campus know exist. I watched a clip of one of these contests on YouTube; if there were not more people on the ice than in the stands in an arena that fit 5,000 I’d be surprised. 

If you were expecting women’s ice hockey to be more “genteel” than the men’s version, then you underestimate the need to be seen as “equals.” Naturally I'm all for equality of opportunity (particularly since there is a certain demographic that doesn't need it, while denying it for others), but that doesn’t mean you’re receiving equal product, no matter what Billie Jean King says these days. As usual, women’s sports teams only make “headlines” when something “unusual” occurs, and this was the case last week during a hockey game between the U.S. and Canadian women’s national teams. According to a story posted on a rarely visited fringe on ESPN’s website, 

“Jocelyne Lamoureux (of the U.S.) took exception to Brianne Jenner's late run at Josephine Pucci, setting off another fiery round in the U.S. women's hockey team's rivalry with Canada. Lamoureux nailed Jenner with an illegal bodycheck and, seconds later, Lamoureux, sister Monique and U.S. teammates Hilary Knight, Gigi Marvin and Kacey Bellamy were brawling with Canada's Jenner, Melodie Daoust, Jocelyne Larocque, Meaghan Mikkelson and Vicki Bendus.” 

Apparently these two teams have considerable bad blood, which sparked a similar brawl involving 10 players last October. According to Katey Stone, coach of the U.S. team, "I'm not a proponent of fighting in hockey, but I am a proponent of standing up for yourself. We will not be pushed around." It was reported that “young girls” in the stands “cheered wildly” as the action was played out. When asked about this, Lamoureux thought it was “pretty cool” that she could serve as an “inspiration for some of these little girls that came out here tonight."

Now, there is a YouTube video of this particular brawl. While the whole thing lasted about 30 seconds, there was plenty of fightin’ action going on, or at least appeared that way since the blows seemed to be delivered in slow motion. The most interesting throw-down was between Knight and Larocque, with the latter putting a wrestling move on the former, pinning her on the ice and pounding on her head. 

One suspects, however, that this was all just for show; after it was over, everyone got up as if it was a fake fight scene in a movie. I mean, where were the bloody faces that you usually expect to see after a men’s hockey fight?  I think fighting in hockey is nothing more than legalized assault, but if you are going to do it and be an “inspiration” for “little girls,” you should show them the “real thing.” But then again, they might get a little squeamish and “uninspired” at the idea of having their faces altered and teeth knocked out.