The reason nothing would happen in Canada is that they all grew up playing hockey its apart of there culture. In Florida and Arizona hockey isnt very popular and its not apart of there culture so they would rule against it.
@@counselthyself2591 Not sure why you wrote all that! Of course Florida and Nevada don't have a hockey culture! I never referenced them one way or another!
The point about Toronto and Montreal was a bit of hyperbole but he was stating that becusse Hockey is such a huge part of Canadian culture and overall more popular in the collective public, that although tragic, it could be easier for Canadians to possibly “get over it” since it’s never happened and they (we) have been used to it in the game and the game itself for so long. But I couldn’t say. As for Canada Vs USA and international ice hockey in general. Canada has punched well above their weight historically in international hockey and go into most tournaments as the favourite. They have fielded by percentage far more NHL players historically but the percentage is lowering each year. That said, you can always expect Canada to produce top level talent such as event number one overall Conor Bedard. Canada’s top rival in hockey throughout history has been Russia and not the USA. Typically in international hockey there are some clear tiers with Canada, Russia, USA, Sweden, Finland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Latvia, Switzerland, Germany, Sort of being a cut above the rest. But it’s changing a lot. Great Britain is ranked 20th. There is a lot less competitive teams at international level. Canada USA Russia Sweden Finland being the top five and their B teams are typically better than most countries. Cheers
The point that the journalist was making about someone dying in a fight in a Montreal vs Toronto game versus an Arizona vs Florida game is that hockey is so ingrained in the culture up in Canada where virtually everyone either has played, has family members play it, or watch it as fans that any potential juries would be reluctant to convict someone for someone dying in a fight versus two non-traditional hockey cities in the US where very few people watch hockey or have played so a potential jury there would less likely be sympathetic. If it was a Detroit vs Chicago or New York vs Boston, the juries would more likely be more "Canadian" in their viewpoint. The US and Canada have similar laws on assault and manslaughter and whatnot. There have been players up in Canada convicted for assault for injuring other players or taking fights too far.
Hockey in Minnesota is every bit a part of our culture. High School, College and professional. A fun summer league for local NHLers is called Da Beauty League. They play for a very rough Stanley Cup replica made from a beer keg.
Or Colorado vs Detroit. Nine fights in one game in 1997. With the Detroit News calling out Claude Lemieux before the game for his violent hit on Kris Draper in the playoffs the year before.
I am Canadian grew up playing this game there is a code you learn as a kid and play within that code if there is no fighting in the NHL you will get the European game with lot of dirty stick work fighting will never leave the game. Hockey is the one sport you can't run out of bounds in think about that. Nilan was no joke he was a pure fighter. Not sure if you guys have seen the Code it is on YT here it will explain why fighting is in the game.
You guys gotta watch the US Vs Canada 2010 olympics final. It was hosted in Vancouver (where im from) and it was one of the most electrifying moments i can remember as a child
For the International play conversation: It's a huge issue right now, there is a lack of best on best tournaments cause all the different leagues and the governing body, the IIHF, can't agree on anything. For a long time the Soviets dominated international play, but for the last few decades Canada has dominated. The U.S. is probably the best they've ever been at the moment, and they could easily win if there was a best on best tournament. They're probably #2 right now on paper. I'd recommend checking out the Canada vs. U.S. gold medal game at the 2010 Olympics in Canada. Incredible atmosphere
@@counselthyself2591 That's not necessarily the case. Yes, NHL'ers were prevented from playing international tournaments for a long time, but the Summit series in the early 70s proved that the Soviets were at least on par with the Canadians, though they did have a huge advantage in that their team played together all the time. Just my opinion though...
@@ronalddelrosario7405 Not true the Russian had played together for years Team Canada was thrown together at the end of the season and took place when our pros were in their off season if you had of had Team Canada with six month of training and playing together the Russian's would have been lucky to win one game out the 8.
If you eliminate fighting, the dirty hits and stick work will go through the roof, it's already bad enough now when the guy knows he is probably going to have to eat some knuckles. The game is too fast for the officials to catch everything, and you can't add more officials, they would get in the way of the flow, ruining the game.
Canada has dominated international hockey the past 100 years or so. 52 World Championship Medals (28 golds) including the most recent one, 20 World Junior Golds (U20) including four of the last six, 22 Olympic medals (13 golds), 23 u18 World Golds, and the past three best on best tournaments (2010 Olympics, 2014 Olympics and 2016 World Cup of Hockey) and thats just the men, the women have arguably been just as dominant. Not to mention the best player in the world right now with Connor McDavid and the best prospect with Connor Bedard (maybe the next Mcdavid?). Also the Men's and Women's teams are both currently ranked #1 in the world. If there was a Men's best vs best tournament right now, Canada would be the heavy favorite followed by the US and Russia.
Another crazy statistic Canada and Russia combined have over 100 medals in the iihf world championship. Meaning at least Canada or Russia has medal every year for the past 100 years
Two world junior 5 peats(93-97,05-09). 9 womens worlds golds(5 of which were won for 5 straight years. 4 straight womens olympic golds(2002-2014). 27 golds at the IIHF world championships. 1237-425-132 record in international play(men). 342-79-3 all time record(women).
@Ryalz It's 28 golds now with the win this year, shows how deep Canada's hockey talent is since most years the rosters are a mismatch of random nhlers who would never make a best on best team. Like this years team where the captain was Tyler Toffoli lol
I didn't see anyone post that Great Britain won the Olympic hockey gold in 1936. Wikipedia - In previous Olympics, the Great Britain team had finished third (1924), and fourth (1928) but with teams that were, "largely composed of Canadian Army officers and university graduates living in the U.K." It was decided that their team must be British-born this time, and while only one player on the team was born in Canada, nine of the thirteen players on the roster grew up in Canada, and eleven had played previously in Canada.
Canada is easily number one. Total and absolute domination across all international tournaments and Olympics m. Canada’s medal count in the IIHF are intense
I feel sorry for those who have never witnessed an old time, bench clearing, hockey brawl. It would often take just as much time to gather up all the discarded equipment than the actual brawl. They were a thing to behold. The closest thing these days is a line brawl involving all ten skaters and sometimes both goalies. It would often take just as much time to gather up all the discarded equipment than the actual brawl.
The reason we make a big deal about the gold at lake placid was because the Soviet Union had dominated international hockey for the better part of 20 years and at that point we didn’t send out nhl pros it was a team of college kids who beat the soviets. I highly recommend the movie miracle that’s about the story I don’t think I know anyone here in the states that hasn’t seen it
Not only Olympics they have national teams they have the world hockey championship every year Canada got gold this year Germany got silver and Lativa got Bronze
I agree with the similar comments it's not restricted to Canada. If it happens during the Pitt vs Philly battle of Pennsylvania we'll still be ok in terms of fighting because it's expected and though Pitt and Philly are footbal cities they're also very much Hockey cities. They mean if a death happens in a younger franchise city the press will be appalled and try to diminish fighting traditions.
His point didn’t have to do with how strict laws are, but rather that a jury in Canada would understand a hockey player in a fight didn’t mean to kill someone, while a jury in somewhere like Florida might not understand how integral fighting is to the sport because it’s not as ingrained in the culture. I think his point about a jury in the US wouldn’t actually play out to the detriment of hockey. Any good lawyer could show and convince a jury of the accused player’s lack of requisite intent by showing the history and culture of hockey, and even comparing it to American football. In fact, I doubt a prosecutor would even bring charges in that situation unless it was a truly weird scenario.
You ought to react to one of those bench clearing brawls from the 1970s if you can find them. One of the best is from 1987...the Philadelphia Flyers and the Montreal Canadians...Eastern Conference Finals from the Forum in Montreal. The brawl started BEFORE the game during pre-game warmups. Players left their respective locker rooms wearing little more than undershirts, pants and flip flops. One for the ages.
If you drop fighting the amount of stick swinging cheapness would skyrocket because there is no accountability. I'm from Canada & like the video said , when there is a fight NO ONE is leaving there seats.
It's not the law, it's the culture. We take man slaughter just as seriously up here but we also understand that you enter a hockey fight willingly. Canadians would understand that it's no different than a boxer being killed in the ring.
You guys need to watch the movie Miracle, the true story of USA beating the Soviet Union in the olympics. It wasn't just that the Soviet Union was on a dominate run at the time, but the NHL (Professional League in US and Canada) at the time didn't allow a break in their season so their players could play in the olympics. So the USA team was made up of recent college graduates that weren't consider at the time to be good enough to play professional. While the Soviet Union national team had their best players who played together year round and played a unique new style that caused their opponents to struggle.
This time of year is the best time to start getting into hockey, teams are battling for playoff spots and the bad blood spills right into the playoffs. This year for some reason it seems like fighting is back on the rise. In most of the games I watched this year there usually is a fight. Plus, you are starting to see a lot teams bringing back old school hockey by picking up "heavy" players that can fight. They are useful during the regular season but a necessity at playoff time. Hockey is one of the most exciting sports in the world that suffers from horrible marketing by the league.
First organized Hockey game was played in Montreal (McGill University, I believe) and was actually based off of Rugby. Initially, you could only pass backwards and there was no Goalie. Canada/Russia is the longest standing international rivalry.
Hockey has a "code" about fighting, which you don't see in other sports. You DON'T hit someone who's down or can't defend himself, and you don't sucker punch from behind. Forget the other team taking a cheap shot at you, your own teammates will do something to you at the next practice. As for how much, the average number of fights per game went from about 2 in the 1970s and early 1980s (during the worst of the goon era) to about 1.5 in the late 1980s and 1990s as retaliation penalties were more enforced. Since 1999 when the NHL adopted two referees, fighting has dropped to 0.5 per game, one fight every two games, because cheap shots and dirty play gets penalized, there's no need to fight and "get even". Rugby players may not retaliate when they suffer a cheap shot, but the lack of fighting likely plays a role in their willingness to play dirty. Baseball "fights" are the worst and most cowardly, they only feel brave enough to throw a punch at the back of another player's head.
When we were growing up in the late 80s into the late 90s in Ontario Canada …… as early as 11-12 years old we were taught to keep your head up hit hard and leave it all out there …. When we became 15-16 and older playing jr the gloves came off and man was it fun lol…… it was a blood sport for the borderline savage…. I miss the roughness of the game…. If you touched one of our best players we were gonna drop em
The comment made about Montreal v Toronto said "a jury of their peers," which I take to not have anything to do with the legal system. Rather, PR and pressure to take fighting out of the game in Canada would be less than that in the US as hockey is more mainstream in Canada. Here in the US, it is less popular than football, basketball and baseball. * *Hockey is more popular in differents regions throughout the country though (North/cold climate like New England & Minnesota = very popular. South/warm climate, like Florida & Phoenix = not so much)
Native Americans and Far East culture played their own versions that were, @ the time, similar to Canada's version. No doubt, today's game is derived from the Canadian version. The style we play today, I would have to give the nod to Anatoly Tarasov- even Canadians have to acknowledge The Summit Series and hos shocked they were and how it revolutionized the game- the irony that Gretzky played the game with the poetic visions of Coach Tarasov is a bit of an elephant in the hockey room!
@@heywoodjablowme81201083 Canadians , 638 Americans, 247 Swedes, 146 Russians- 2435 Total players in the NHL for the 2024 season. 44% Canadian, 26% American, 10% Swedish, 5% Russian- 15% rest of the world 17 nationalities in all represented in the NHL. Fun Fact- the Stanley Cup is the oldest pro sports trophy in North America, 1893.
It’s not has nothing to do with the law. Ppl die in boxing they can’t do nothing, it’s about the culture. Canadians love hockey to the death, I was in skates before I can walk. We know the risk in the game. Is what they mean when they say if some one dies playing in Canada
I lived a cpl blocks away from a sports arena and they had a lower division from Detroit red wings who played there. I attended in late 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s. The best part,besides winning,is the fighting.
Hockey is massive in Canada and the primary sport for most boys growing up. America is a bit more spread out with baseball/football/basketball and then hockey coming in behind soccer even down there.
Fighting in hockey I have played since I was 4 and just quit playing at 56 do to my knees no longer being able to take it still get on the ice when I can with the grandkids . Think of it this way you got D-Man leaning on you all game sticking his stick between your legs and lifting up giving you what is called a seperator if you get what mean ( if you played you know what I mean ) you can only take that for so much before you turn around and tell the to knock it off ( Not in those terms most like with some foul words ) and challenge him to fight the next you know off come the gloves and your tossing knuckles. A lot fights in NHL are from cheap shots or dirty hits that break the unwritten rules in the Code.
6:44 people in the south like Phoenix and Florida aren’t as accustomed to the sport like people in the north and Canada although it is changing a bit. It’s still a bit of a niche sport in America compared to baseball basketball and football but they absolutely need to keep it in the game. While they haven’t outlawed it they’ve definitely tried to minimize fighting and focus on skill players. There really isn’t even any pure enforcers like Nilan on most rosters now
Yeah true the closest to a pure enforcer these days is someone like Ryan Reaves who just signed a three year deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs he is coming in to protect guys like Matthews and Marner and to stop them from being bullied in the playoffs.
Fighting is TOLERATED but not actually LEGAL. In the US is is allowed at the pro level, whether it's the NHL or lower semi-pro leagues. It's not allowed in pee-wee through college/university level. I imagine it's the same for Canada. If a fight occurs in non-professional leagues it is usually an instant game misconduct and the two combatants are removed from the game. Depending on the situation and the individual league rules, they may be suspended for more than 1 game, especially if the player is a repeat offender.
Hockey is a Canadian sport, we invented it, and understand it better than any other nation, so yes, if it happens in Canada, it would be much less impactful than if it happened in the US. Not just because of their laws, but the lack of understanding of how fast the game is, and (with a stick CONSTANTLY in hand) how quickly it can escalate into something quite violent. That would probably be seen as 'with intent' rather than 'mitigating circumstances'. That kind of thing. About Canada vs USA, there is a video showing nothing but various Canadians reaction to Olympic Gold Medal Game 2010, there is even a video with 16 different countries broadcasts for the goal, which will all go to show just how much hockey is part of the Canadian culture. And, since I was born in 1960, I actually witnessed the greatest series of all, the first time the USSR Red Army hockey team got to play NHL professional hockey players. Because at that time only amateurs were allowed in the Olympics. So this series was set up, 4 games in Canada, 4 in Moscow, and boy, some of the stories that happened during that series reads better than most novelists could write. People today would not BELIEVE what went on, and I have seen the interviews with the people that were there. This series, btw, was SO important to Canada, that when it was time for the games in Moscow, because of the time difference, televisions were rolled into EVERY classroom across Canada so the kids could watch history being made!!!
While there are NHL teams in warm weather states, hockey is a popular participant sport only in Canada, and a few northern US states. There's not much of a hockey tradition in Florida or Arizona. If a player died on a football field in Florida (where American football is a de facto religion), there won't be much shock or outrage; and the rules likely won't change. But if the same happened in a hockey rink in Florida, then the repercussions would be massive.
There is a big push from the league administration to reduce fighting in hockey. It was way bigger 10-20 years ago. But there is a push now to reduce it. Brain injuries, there is a huge history of it related to fighting. They want to reduce it. There is a big penalty now to deter fighting, but it still happens. I am all for it, some aren't and that's ok - I respect their stance. It is still a fabric of the game and will never really be removed completely. PS Canada hands down has the best ice hockey talent in the world. Always will.
Hockey originated in Canada…….it is our sport and while you might be watching two American teams playing, keep in mind that all NHL players are 50% Canadian. The other 50% is Russian, Swede, Finns, Czechs, Americans, Germans etc. The 2023 winners of the Stanley Cup, The Las Vegas Golden Knights have 23 players……18 are Canadian.
There's a reason. Everyone has weapons. The thinking is, if the players drop their sticks, there'll be fewer consequences. This is the argument, and I think it's a good one. Cheers!
Canada is hockey, Hockey is Canada so, a jury of your peers will understand fighting in hockey. Americans do not have hockey in their blood and is not a well known sport in the USA except in the cities they have a team. Thus a jury of their peers do not understand the ‘code’ in ice hockey and are more likely to face criminal charges. In Canada we do have specifics in the law and common law about “consensual fighting”.
Canada has won the most Olympic gold at 15. Remember in the U S . Hockey is #4 in popularity, behind football, basketball and baseball. For Canadians hockey is not just our sport…..it’s our religion, we live and breathe hockey! Nearly all Canadian kids get their first pair of ice skates at about age four and begin playing hockey at age five. 50% of all NHL teams are made up of Canadian players ( it used to be 96%. The other 50% aren’t even all American, They are Russian, Swedes, Finns, Czechs, Serbs, Germans and Americans. The team that just won the Stanley Cup ( Las Vegas, Golden Knights ) has 24 players…..18 are Canadian. I’m an old lady of 77 and I say keep the fighting, it’s part of our sport. BeR in mind I’ve watched hockey all my life, back before helmets, mouth guards, thicker padding, no facial protection for goalies……the fights were longer and bloodier back then. Half the boys in my high school class were missing several teeth. ( We really love our hockey )!
Kerry Fraser, the retired ref in this video, was one of the best refs of all time, in any sport. Plus he always had sweet-ass hair, that didn't move, regardless of what he collided with
Ironically US teams have won more Stanley Cups than Canada, but it's gotta be because they've got so many Canadian and other foreign players. Maybe bc it offers higher salaries or has more teams? Just a guess
Its not the law codes, its whether the Jury understands that Fighting is voluntary and part of the sport. In Florida and Phoenix you are not likely to find people who can skate let alone be familiar with Hockey.
There is a reason for this being slowed down a bit and it’s cause of the CTE stuff.. a couple of the big fighters really went through it.. It’s more of a head injury thing then an era thing.. Not to be a downer cause I love it too! I’m a lacrosse guy
I agree tentative is a great hockey hockey start to Canada standoff in the 60s with two hockey teams in Canada because they wouldn't African-Americans play on Canada hockey team so they made their own hockey League there were two different hockey teams in Canada look up a show called Black Ice
Some leagues are starting to ban fighting. it’s banned in the QMJHL now. i really hope it doesn’t influence other leagues, but with one of the 3 main junior leagues in Canada banning fights, i wouldn’t be suprised some other ban them too… if its ever banned from the NHL, hockey as we know it will have died..
Fighting in professional hockey has been declining for the last 10 years or so. There are several reasons: teams needing more skilled players than most frequent fighters were, concerns about concussions and CTE, and rule changes that require half-shields and prohibit intentionally removing helmets (who wants to punch hard plastic with bare hands?). Full shields are currently not allowed in the NHL unless a player has already been injured, which would be insane in any other business (imagine a construction site prohibiting hard hats for the uninjured!). I suspect that full shields will one day be made mandatory, since they are in all or nearly all youth and amateur leagues, as well as the Olympics and other international competitions. I don't see how fighting would then continue, unless players started keeping their gloves on.
Nfl does not have many fights, because those guys are getting hit really hard every play--it is literally part of the game that includes massive collisions. The players therefore are used to getting hit hard and accept it as part of each play. Hockey collisions don't happen that often and are not commonly high impact collisions, so fights happen as a result.
You’re kidding right. There is a ton of big hits in hockey it’s the stick work is generally what causes the fighting. Or someone going after star players.
@@waynethera2712 I'm not kidding. There are big hits in hockey, but the biggest hits in hockey pale in comparison to NFL hits--which regularly knock players out, and at times partially or completely paralyze (and rarely, kill). The players are bigger, faster stronger and the result is massive hits. But back to fighting--NFL players get hit essentially every, single, play--and that kind of changes the feel of things--expecting to get clobbered v. not expecting it as in hockey where alot/most of the hits are blind-siding--player has head down, or is driven into the boards. There is a 100% injury rate in football and many that result in later being highly disabled. Pro football is miles tougher--though hockey players are next in line and very tough. Also, there is no written or unwritten rule against absolutely creaming the star player (QBs excepted it seems, these days) as exists in hockey. I have friends and acquaintances who played both sports and every, single, one says football is much harder as far as the constant and high level collisions. You can watch a hockey game for long periods without seeing anything resembling a collision--in football it is every play. And hockey fights are meh--some grabbing, some punches, very choreographed and controlled mostly, maybe a clear punch with blood. A football fight, though rare, is absolute mayhem--those big boys would tear a hockey player's arm off and beat them with it (use their helmuts). The football players, even the smaller guys, are all weight-training fiends and much stronger.
Keep in mind that IIHF rankings are mostly compiled from the World Championships. This is held during the Stanley Cup Playoffs where every team has a large percentage of Canadian born players in their roster. When Canada goes to the World Championships it's team is made up of players whose teams did not make the Stanley Cup playoffs or were elimated early. Essentially the best players are unavailable because they are playing for their club team. Also, Canadians generally don't view the World Championships as important because of this. The Olympics (when the NHL players are allowed to participate) or the World Cup (formerly Canada Cup) are the real world championships and the only thing that really matter to Canadians. Canada is the undisputed hockey power of the world. When we p[lay best on best we are the team to beat.
Its a necessity, they are keeping each other honest and most of the dirty stuff is left out because the result will be a good ole punch in the face contest. Probert was the best there ever was and ever will be , bar nun .
A death from fighting in hockey would be understood in Canada because we know the consequences of it. Americans aren’t the same as we Canadians are when it comes to policing the game.
Olympic hockey started 100 years ago..... Canada has won 9 times..... many Soviet wins were during the "only amateurs" years or boycotts..... Canada can brag about their world hockey dominance in much the same way as Americans can brag about their world military dominance..... Great Britain actually won hockey gold in 1936 when they should have been preparing for Hitler.
You’ve started a war lol Canada is the hockey champion, also Canada vs Russia and USA vs Russia is a huge series, but obviously there’s a reason Russia is currently not a competitor in international hockey. World Juniors is huge over here and any match with the Canadians with USA, Russia, Sweden, Finland is always a great match.
World Junior’s matches gold medal 2023 Canada beat Czechia 2022 Canada beat Finland 2021 USA beat Canada (Bubble, No Fans) 2020 Canada beat Russia 2019 USA beat Finland 2018 Canada beat Sweden
Nope. The only people that have a problem with hockey fights are people that don't watch hockey. It's what keeps punks from benefitting; keeps everyone honest.
Florida and Arizona are known for have terrible support fan wise. They definitely aren't "true" hockey fans. Ppl in Canada are hockey purists so its way better if it happened there.
Just my opinion: Fighting should be outlawed and thug hockey eliminated. No other sport allows its players to behave in ways that would get you arrested out on the street.
It's easily the worst part of the sport for me--I want skating, stick-handling, passing, etc., not 2 guys wrestling around on the ice with some punches thrown. Wouldn't miss it at all if they cracked down.
