Good piece. At least for me after watching it my first thoughts were, why do they allow fighting in juniors? It's one thing when you're doing it for at worst half a million a year, it's another when you're doing it just for the chance to maybe one day do that at the pro level.
Good piece. At least for me after watching it my first thoughts were, why do they allow fighting in juniors? It's one thing when you're doing it for at worst half a million a year, it's another when you're doing it just for the chance to maybe one day do that at the pro level.
Absolutely. They are not men, they are boys. How do you condone boys fighting in a sport? I don't get it, and I'm by no means a pacifist.
Good piece. At least for me after watching it my first thoughts were, why do they allow fighting in juniors? It's one thing when you're doing it for at worst half a million a year, it's another when you're doing it just for the chance to maybe one day do that at the pro level.
How else do you get good enough to do it at the pro level? You start young.
It might be true that this is hockey getting negative publicity but, having just read the entire article, it can't be denied that it's still a strong and emotional piece that was very well researched. The quotes from Boogard's private notes are chilling.
It's a tough situation. I'm personally against fighting in hockey but I think it's clear after reading this article that Derek's problems stemmed from far more than just being an enforcer in the NHL. There's no direct correlation drawn that says his depression and substance abuse was solely caused by his role as a hockey player and I think the article was pretty fair in pointing that out. Him and his family led a nomadic lifestyle that would have been difficult for any child to grow up in not to mention a child that was already prone to being ostracized due to his abnormal size. It's also pretty clear that he probably had some learning disability that was never properly diagnosed and treated as well as some social and behavioral issues that manifested themselves at a young age. Even without the fighting there were a lot of elements that did not bode well for Derek.
I love how hockey gets a negative image because of the fighting, yet sports like boxing and MMA are venerated.
You never see an article about what Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather's mental health will be in 20 years as a result of their respective sports, do you?
That's because hockey is easy for people to pick on. It's not as popular as a top flight boxing match; it doesn't receive nearly as much attention.
Picking on boxing doesn't fit people's agenda. It's almost as if they're saying "ah we might as well kick hockey when it's down, because no one in this country cares about it anyway."
I strated reading it and found it sad and a bit biased, almost anti-hockey. As if this is what ALL players go through coming up. That's how a lot of people will interpret it.
Hey, I understand it might be a compelling story that needs to be told, but wheneve pro ice hockey is in the national spotlight, it's always about the fighting and it's always (almost) negative.
Not a fan of the title, and not a fan of having the sport cast in to that type of light. It is a good article but they make it look like hockey is just boxing on ice or something like that. Boogy was not a good hockey player, but he was a damn good fighter and that is why he had a spot in the NHL.
We've had three NHL fighters die recently, the media should be taking a hard look at these players lives. It's not anti-hockey, it's pro-life (not in the murdering abortion doctors way). I don't think the conclusion is to ban fighting in the NHL, but I do think it should be banned in juniors. There's no fighting in college hockey, why should there be in junior hockey? That's where it seems Boogy might have suffered the most actually based on the nytimes piece.
Not a fan of the title, and not a fan of having the sport cast in to that type of light. It is a good article but they make it look like hockey is just boxing on ice or something like that. Boogy was not a good hockey player, but he was a damn good fighter and that is why he had a spot in the NHL.
Did you think an article about Derek Boogaard was going to focus on the skill involved in hockey?
I know that as hockey fans, we all love watching the fights, but the article really sheds some light on what it's like for these guys. No one ever really thinks about the toll that it takes on them and they have to keep their reputations intact, so they can't/won't say anything about any issues/pain they have. It's pretty hard core and after reading something like that, it gives you a greater appreciation for what these guys deal with on a daily basis.
Part 3 of the series revealed that Boogaard had CTE, the same brain disease that Probert had. I hope the NHL and NHLPA are doing research on CTE and educating its players. I think it's getting to the point where it's not a matter of if but when fighting will be banned from the league.
Part 3 of the series revealed that Boogaard had CTE, the same brain disease that Probert had. I hope the NHL and NHLPA are doing research on CTE and educating its players. I think it's getting to the point where it's not a matter of if but when fighting will be banned from the league.
This was the findings:
Quote:
Boogaard had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, commonly known as C.T.E., a close relative of Alzheimer’s disease. It is believed to be caused by repeated blows to the head. It can be diagnosed only posthumously, but scientists say it shows itself in symptoms like memory loss, impulsiveness, mood swings, even addiction.
And this would have been the outcome:
Quote:
The scientists on the far end of the conference call told the Boogaard family that they were shocked to see so much damage in someone so young. It appeared to be spreading through his brain. Had Derek Boogaard lived, they said, his condition likely would have worsened into middle-age dementia.
What a sad story. Part Three reduced me to tears for the senseless loss of DB and the future loss of other enforcers.
I must admit, when I became a hockey fan way back in the late 1950s (I was about 10), fighting was part of the attraction. It remained a big pull during my time as a season ticket holder at MSG from 1968-1976, throughout my teens and early 20s. As I became a father, I began to question fighting (one of my sons played HS hockey) and am now totally opposed to it and want it removed from the game. I've felt this for years, not as a result of the DB articles.
I love the emotion and physicality of hockey. I recognize the need for teams to have enforcers as long as other teams have one. I must admit that there is a primal attraction to fights as they occur in games (call me a hypocrite if you will), but I would be thrilled if it were banned.
How many more fine young men are we going to lose? Will it take a death on the ice, something that has become more likely as enforcers get bigger, and ridiculous "take-downs" have become part of the fighting ritual (someone is going to have their head smashed on the ice during one), for it to happen?
Hockey is the greatest sport of all (I am a hardcore baseball fan, a big time pro football fan.....don't like college football....and a fan of European soccer...not a basketball fan at all). It is my favorite sport. I live an die with the Rangers. But everyone: the NHL, the Wild, the Rangers, the medical staffs, even we fans, are complicit in DBs death. Fighting must be removed from the game. Nothing anyone says, including idiots like Don Cherry, will convince me otherwise.
Wow...what an incredible read. Part 3 was extremely sad. It actually has me rethinking about the place of fighting in hockey.
Although I do believe it does belong, it should only be used as a last resort measure for justice. The penalties should be increased and staged fights should be completely abolished.
Wow...what an incredible read. Part 3 was extremely sad. It actually has me rethinking about the place of fighting in hockey.
Although I do believe it does belong, it should only be used as a last resort measure for justice. The penalties should be increased and staged fights should be completely abolished.
I could not agree more. Staged fights are useless anyway. I worry about guys like Prust.
Anyone else checking out the Journal that the Times screenshotted?
I know this story is mentioned in the articles but reading it in his handwriting makes it hit harder...
On page 2 of his journal...
Quote:
I get up from my equipment and go out in the hallway and a chubbier looking guy is taping his sticks. He had some weird Elvis looking haircut and was 6'4". So I grabbed my sticks & started to cut the stick and he walks up to me, gets in my face and says "your ****ing dead! I'm going to ****ing kill you and you will regret coming here!"
Felt good for the Boogeyman that he broke "Churchy's" nose in their first fight!
It's all so interesting and so sad.
EDIT - The Journal is an amazing read
Last edited by silverfish: 12-06-2011 at 12:19 PM.
man did you guys see the part about how the rangers organization refused to answer any of Boogard's dad's questions about his treatment and they wouldn't let him talk to sather. all they gave him was a 4 sentence email
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