MONTREAL, QC.– You’re a hockey fan, so am I. For seven months of the year, and hopefully longer, we eat, sleep and breathe NHL hockey 24/7. Even in the off-season, we seek out information to keep up on the draft, free agency and trades.
We may cheer for different teams — which means often we find it hard to see eye to eye. But on this we can agree, hockey is the best game in the world. There is nothing else like it — other sports pale in comparison.
We watch the games, we read articles on our favorite websites and we talk about hockey with our friends, both near and far.
But something is the matter. It just doesn’t feel right.
The commissioner is distracted by a situation he orchestrated in Phoenix. He spins fantastic tales, disses sponsors and shows no interest in addressing what has become an urgent situation. I have less and less confidence in the people he has chosen to run things.
Sometimes I wonder whether the NHL even cares about its fans.
Right now, I’m feeling sad, angry, and simply out of sorts. Young talented players are getting hurt, some very seriously. These injuries are of the type that can threaten a career or a life.
In response, the league hands out token discipline or sometimes none at all. There is only minimal deterrent, and the situation is getting worse.
Such was the case this week with Max Pacioretty of the Montreal Canadiens. Pacioretty is the 22-year old player who came very close to losing his life in a horrific incident after a vicious hit. Who knows when or if he’ll play again?
This is not an new issue. Recall these hits to name only a few: Matt Cooke on Marc Savard; Maxim Lapierre on Scott Nichol; Mike Richards on David Booth; and Guillaume Latendresse on Rob DiMaio.
The problem didn’t start with the hit on Pacioretty, but maybe it can end there.
But will the league listen to its fans? They better listen.
We need to tell the NHL that it’s our game and we are taking it back. We demand to have a voice.
Here’s how:
- Support social media initiatives. All Habs began a campaign to send a message to the league by unfollowing @NHL on Twitter, and unliking NHL on Facebook.
- Send an email to your member of parliament or your member of congress. Tell them that you are upset with the NHL’s indifference towards head injuries and player safety.
- Temporarily stop using products that sponsor the NHL, and send them an email telling them why. (Here’s a few: Hersheys, Kraft Foods, McDonalds (U.S.), Ford, Canadian Tire, Bridgestone)
- Support NHL sponsors like Air Canada and VIA Rail who have taken a stand against the NHL’s inaction to violence in the game.
- Boycott buying merchandise from NHL.com
- Watch the accompanying video and share it with your friends.
- Have you organized an initiative to effect positive change in the NHL? Tell us.
The time is now. General Managers from around the league will be meeting in Florida next week to discuss headshots. They need to take the issue more seriously. It’s not good enough to blame the problem on building design. Consistent meaningful supplementary discipline, a revamped process, and a new management team is crucial to curbing violence and putting hockey back on track.
Take a stand, spread the word and let’s help our game regain its lost lustre.
(Photo by Dave Sandford/Getty Images)