DISCLAIMER:
There are going to be a lot of you Hockey-L folks out there that won't like
what I'm writing; if you feel the need to flame, then go ahead. But please
keep in mind that just if you don't *agree* with me, it doesn't mean I'm
wrong, or an idiot, or some demon sent from the Inferno.
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Regarding the "10-minute Major"
===============================
Various Hockey-L'ers wrote:
> ...soccer has the red card, which removes the player for the entire game.
 
Ask any soccer player how much of an impact this has on the face of the
game; most likely their response will be that it would change the game in
that either their offense or defense would suffer -- slightly -- depending
on whether they were up or down at the time of the infraction.
 
A 5-minute major however, is an absolute dread for most hockey teams; a
10-minute major would probably be death warrant. We're talking losing
one-fifth of the on-ice players; soccer is only losing one-tenth, and
that's not much no matter how long the game runs...
 
 
Regarding penalizing the Team vs. the Individual
================================================
[in response to the various posts claiming that every sport penalizes the
*team* for every call, and the team should accept responsibility, etc]
 
Penalties are (generally) assigned to a team regardless ot the severity of
the infraction; that is to say that a high-sticking resulting in 10-20
stitches to someone's face will result in the same penalty as a stick
simply caught in someone's facemask -- they'll both get 5-minute majors
(mostly).
 
That's how the *team* is penalized.
 
The individual is then further penalized based on the severity of the
situation; in the pros, this is done after the game, so that the infraction
may be reviewed properly (and appealed, *yawn*). In college, a "20-stitch
penalty" will almost always result in a game misconduct, disqualification,
and probable suspension by the league for more than 1 game.
 
And that is how the *individual* is penalized.
 
A question: if a player goes berserk on the ice, carries out a personal
vendetta against his old high-school/Junior hockey nemesis, has a bad final
the day before the game, breaks up with his girlfriend, etc... to what
level can/should the team be held accountable for his on-ice actions? As an
extreme example, what if a team was kept out of the playoffs because of the
on-ice actions of a particular player?
 
 
If people are truly concerned about the severity of penalties in college
hockey, then more weight should be put on the individual penalties, not the
team penalties. If players faced the possibility of sitting out the rest of
the season (or their career) for "vicious" penalty, or even fighting, for
that matter, then more than likely you'd see the amount of malicious play
drop.
 
This goes back to the old argument of the Goons versus the Talent. It's
quite apparent that the more talented players in the various levels of
hockey (with a few scattered exceptions) are "less violent" than the
"Goons;" the chief reason for this, as most hockey critics will point out,
is that the Talent players are generally more concerned about their
personal health, athletic performance, and ability to produce results for
the team. Suspensions and injuries don't help any team.
 
NB: I'M NOT FLAMING JUNIOR HOCKEY
---------------------------------
It also appears that the majority of the penalties-with-intent-to-harm come
from the older ex-Junior hockey players, and it's not surprising. Kids
coming straight out of high school (or being younger) have spent less time
playing hockey where such violent play is not nearly as tolerated as it is
in the Juniors. I don't think this means that Junior players are more
"violent;" rather, they've had more exposure to it, and therefore are more
acceptable of it and possibly prone to participate in it.
----------------------------------------------
NOTE: JUST MAKING AN OBSERVATION, NOT FLAMING.
 
 
When reviewing the situation of penalty and infraction calling in college
hockey however, the biggest question of all gets raised:
 
Is College Hockey in place to provide talented players with a chance for an
education, or as a stepping stone to the professional level?
 
 
-- but that's a whole 'nother long thread that's been exhausted :-)
 
 
greenie
 
S P O O N ! !
(go BU)
 
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