Hockey is a game of speed and skill. It is degraded by slugfests; goonishness and thuggery rob it of its finesse.
Gov. Gen. David Johnston is right on the mark when he says fighting shouldn鈥檛 be part of sa国际传媒鈥檚 most popular spectator sport.
鈥淚鈥檓 actually very concerned about the level of violence in hockey, particularly concussions,鈥� Johnston told Postmedia reporter Jason Fekete in an interview last week. 鈥淚 think we have to change the rules of the game to diminish the amount of violence.鈥�
The Governor General speaks not just from his lofty vice-regal position, but as someone who has played the game, and played it well.
As a youngster, he played hockey in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. Three of his teammates 鈥� Phil Esposito, Tony Esposito and Lou Nanne 鈥� went on to play in the National Hockey League.
Johnston went to Harvard University to study law, where he made a name for himself as a defenceman and a two-time All-American. He was voted Harvard鈥檚 Most Valuable Player in 1962-63.
It鈥檚 commonly said that hockey fans watch the game for the fights, but Johnston doesn鈥檛 go along with that. 鈥淚 think that you attract spectators to this game because of the qualities I mentioned, the speed, the skill and the teamwork,鈥� he said.
If hockey lost a few fans because fighting was banned, it would likely pick up a lot more who would be attracted to one of the world鈥檚 most exciting games 鈥� if it were free of fistfights.
