There comes a time when every fan has to wonder… how can that happen?
Twice this weekend I had to witness a referee make a grave mistake regarding the release of players from the penalty box, decisions going in favour of the away team and done at the screaming demands of the away coach.
I was under the impression that referees controlled the game, not protesting coaches. I was also under the impression that coaches had to keep their mouths shut and not talk back to a referee. Of course I also thought that you had to be able to read and count too but after this weekend’s games I’m left to wonder.
How can such a grave mistake happen as the release of a player from the penalty box 58 seconds before the 2 minute penalty is up? And how can the ref take the word of a coach over the scorer or the penalty box attendant whose jobs it is to keep track of these things!
This type of mistake ruins the experience for the fans of both teams. No one likes to be cheated and no one likes their team to cheat.
Man up refs and rule the game fairly and squarely.
As hockey fans we’ve all experienced, or been at the delivery end of less than appropriate behaviour. A major part of being a fan is the passion we have for our teams, and be damned anybody who challenge our team.
But when do we draw the line and say enough-is-enough, let’s be the bigger people. Or, to put it more bluntly, when do we grow a pair and be adults.
Those who frequent the Gold Coast Blue Tongues games know and understand that there is a highly passionate group of fans who sit directly behind the opposition bench, an area that is often considered by travelling fans to be where opposition fans should sit. What people need to understand is that the LizardPit, which we refer to that section behind the opposition bench has always been used by this group of fans, and at no point in time at our rink, has that area ever been an area for opposition fans. In fact, those who sit there, do so for a reason. The Blue Tongues journalist sits there and need to be able to hear the referees and/or the people running the penalty box and we often have a photographer / web updater there who use the gap to get photos.
That said, I want to talk about fan etiquette.
We had a large contingency of fans for an opposition team at a Tongues game recently who took exception of these Blue Tongues fans. I’m not going to mention the team name on purpose, please accept that. On Sunday, instead of approaching the rink or these people and asking them, as adults if they could give up their spot so the opposition fans could all sit together, they went the manipulative route, and deceptively bypassed the rules of our home rink by going in before the general public. How they got in is irrelavent, although it is known.
Here’s the thing… this is an organisation that claims to be high-class and professional, yet in a situation that would have been resolved simply by asking the fans if they could move for one game, they acted unprofessionally, and in the most classless manner imaginable. For future reference, any act of professionalism is going to be marred by the fact that certain people are all talk and no show, which is a pitty.
I can’t help but wonder, what would happen if another team traveled to their rink and did this?
I wish to point out, that the Blue Tongues fans in question did choose to move and be the better people.
In the future, to all involved, please be as professional and classy as you claim and ask, you’d be surprised at how accomodating we can be.
Fighting is an oft discussed topic around the Australian Ice Hockey League and one which tends to bring out some pretty strong personalities. During a recent chat with a fellow hockey fan we were talking about the role that fighting has in this league, and more importantly, the value of import players who know how to drop the gloves.
Many Blue Tongues fans will remember the events of 2008, or maybe you’re trying to forget them. It was both a high and a low year for the Blue Tongues, which ended up being tainted by the on and off ice antics of a few import players. This isn’t about that team or those players, but they are key to this discussion.
Fighting has always played a big role in the sport of hockey. Whether it’s been used to change the flow of a game or send a message to the opposition, the sport has had both it’s heroes and villains in the area of fisticuffs. Rob Ray, Tie Domi, Bob Probert, the list goes on, these guys are thought of as gladiators of the ice.
And you know what… in the leagues they played in, they were. A fight in the NHL will get you 5 minutes in the penalty box. Sure there are rules about not fighting in the closing minutes of the game which is more severe but the fact is, a 5 minute major penalty is not nearly as bad as a 5 minute major and a 10 minute misconduct you’d get here.
The thing is, down here in Australia fighting is heavily frowned upon. We play by the IIHF rulebook (ie. international / Olympic rules) which clearly states the following:
528 – FISTICUFFS OR ROUGHING
a) A player who intentionally takes off his glove/s in a fight or altercation shall be
assessed a: Misconduct penalty (10’)
b) A player who starts fisticuffs shall be assessed a: Match penalty (MP)
c) A player who, having been struck, retaliates with a blow or attempted blow, shall
be assessed a: Minor penalty (2’)
d) Any player or goalkeeper who is the first to intervene in an altercation already in progress, shall be assessed in addition to any other penalties incurred in the incident a: Game Misconduct penalty (GM)
e) If a player, after he has been ordered by the Referee to stop, continues the
altercation, attempts to continue, or resists a Linesman in the discharge of his
duties, he shall be assessed, at the discretion of the Referee, a: Double Minor penalty (2’+2’) or Major penalty + Automatic Game Misconduct penalty (5’+GM) or Match penalty (MP)
f) A player or team official who is on or off the ice and is involved in an
altercation or fisticuffs with a player or team official off the playing surface,
he shall be assessed, at the discretion of the Referee, a: Misconduct penalty (10’) or Game Misconduct penalty (GM) or Match penalty (MP)
g) If a player is deemed guilty of unnecessary roughness, he shall be assessed, at
the discretion of the Referee, a: Minor penalty (2’) or Double Minor penalty (2’+2’) or Major penalty + Automatic Game Misconduct penalty (5’+GM)
h) A player who grabs or holds the face mask or helmet or pulls the hair of an opponent shall be assessed, at the discretion of the Referee, a: Minor penalty (2’) or Major penalty + Automatic Game Misconduct penalty (5’+GM)
Lots of rules just for dropping the gloves, and these are generally considered subjective depending on the type of fight and the reason for it. In fact a fight here in the AIHL is usually going to get you a 5 minute major, and any of the following:
- Misconduct (10min)
- Game Misconduct (20min + ejection)
- Match Penalty
- Instigator
In a game with 15 minute periods, a fight means you’re out for a third of the game… AT LEAST.
Goons Vs Enforcers
Due to the strict rules in the AIHL on this issue, one could offer up a fantastic reason why the limited and valuable import spots should not be wasted on players who could be considered “goons”.
A goon IMO is one of those guys who knows how to fight and likes to fight and tends to have lapses in self-control. Goons are often not team players, and will generally end up in the penalty box or out of the game because they can’t keep their emotions in check. This should not be confused with an enforcer, who can fight the same way, but know when and how it should be done for the betterment of the team.
This is where I want to bring up the difference between the 2008 and 2009 Blue Tongues. Last season we saw one of our import spots go to Bryan Lachance, a guy who averages low point numbers and high PIMs in almost every league he’s played in. This right here should have been a warning that he’s not going to work, but alas, out he came. In the 20 games he played with the Blue Tongues he managed to put up 33 points and 188 penalty minutes. For a top 2 import, he spent 10 minutes of every single game (average) in the penalty box. For Lachance, self-control was as foreign as damper rolls and kangaroo steaks. Gaetan Royer, although better, had much the same issues. Those who were around in 2008 know of the events, so no need to talk about them here.
The 2009 Blue Tongues is a different team. They have guys who can fight (Selander, Spillane, Howell, etc) but these guys know that playing hockey is a far better way to spend the game. They will drop the gloves, as is evident in the picture above, but they wont do it for the sake of fighting.
The Fans / Game Audience
The other major factor in fighting within the sport of hockey are the people sitting in the seats. As is the goal of the Blue Tongues, and most other teams here in Australia, we want non-hockey fans to start following the sport. Each game we see more and more people come to games who have never experienced ice hockey before. As fantastic as this is, it also means they don’t know the rules or the “game”. When it comes to fighting, the impact is both positive and negative. Last year we saw many people stop coming to games, especially those with children or families. In Australia, which is still considered a non-hockey market, we must ensure we appeal to the target audience, and that audience is not necessarily going to want to see guys punching each other.
The 2008 Tongues played hard, often dirty and penalised themselves out of playoff contention. The 2009 Tongues play fast, non-goon, end-to-end hockey while keeping a strong physical game and are second on the ladder.
Keep the gloves on, scoring goals, not punches, wins championships.
Ever wondered what a “blue line” is, or what “butt ending” means? This guide should help answer most your questions.
| Back Check: | To hinder an opponent heading toward and into the defending zone. |
| Blue Lines: | The pair of one-foot wide blue lines which extend across the ice at a distance of 64 feet from each goal. These lines break up the ice into attacking, neutral and defending zones. |
| Body Check: | Use of the body on an opponent. It is legal when the opponent has possession of the puck or was the last player to have touched it. |
| Butt-Ending: | To hit an opponent with the end of the stick farthest from the blade. It is illegal and calls for a penalty. |
| Crease: | Area directly in front of the goaltender. It is four feet wide and eight feet long and marked off by red lines. Offensive players who do not have possession of the puck may not enter. |
| Deke: | To fake an opponent out of position. |
| Face Off: | The dropping of the puck between one player from each team to start or resume play. |
| Forecheck: | To check an opponent in his end of the rink, preventing an offensive rush. |
| Freezing the puck: | To hold the puck against the boards with either the stick or skate to get a stoppage of play. |
| Goal Line: | The red line which runs between the goal posts and extends in both directions to the side boards. |
| Goal Mouth: | The area just in front of the goal and crease lines. |
| Hat Trick: | The scoring of three or more goals by a player in one game. |
| One-Timer: | Hitting the puck directly after receiving a pass. The offensive player takes his backswing while the puck is on its way to him and tries to time his swing with the arrival of the puck. |
| Penalty Box: | The area opposite the team benches where penalized players serve time. |
| Power Play: | A power play occurs when a team has a one -man or two -man advantage because of an opponent’s penalties. |
| Pulling the goalie: | Replacing the goalie with an extra skater. This occurs when a team trails, usually by one goal in the last minute of the game. It is a high -risk attempt to tie the game. |
| Save: | A shot blocked by the goaltender, which would have been a goal if not stopped. |
| Screened Shot: | Goaltender’s view is blocked by players between he and the shooter. |
| Slap Shot: | Hitting the puck with the blade of the stick after taking a full backswing. |
| Slot: | The area immediately in front of the goal. It is from this zone that most goals are scored and where most furious activity takes place. |
| Splitting the Defense: | The player with the puck attempts to squeeze between the opponent’s defensemen. |
| Stick Handling: | To control the puck along the ice. |
| Top Shelf: | Term used to describe when an offensive player shoots high in an attempt to beat the goalie by putting the puck in the top part of the net. |
| Wraparound: | When a player skates around behind the goal. |
