Devils Vs Storm - League- 5th & 8th Jan 22 - Rearrangement Spectacular

Wannabe2

Well-Known Member
Think about it; You speak to anyone, anywhere who isn’t a hockey fan, what’s the first thing they mention? Fighting.

Physicality brings in new blood. Brings back fans and turns them into long term fans who one day will understand the skilled side of the game and think less about the fights.

I’d hazard a guess that 99% of people here are fully engrained into hockey fandom, but even then a lot of us (myself included) miss the physical game.
Well if you have a pulse you do, I post my views but believe me they are endorsed by many others who don’t post on here. Be honest and admit what brought you here, it was indoors, my friends went, wondered what it was all about, somewhere to go. Or told it was exciting, physical big time, amazing atmosphere, end of seat entertainment, fighting allowed with a 5 min penalty. Anyway we all have our views on this, it’s just that some ( don’t get it ) that’s a joke by the way.
 

Diablo3

Well-Known Member
Well if you have a pulse you do, I post my views but believe me they are endorsed by many others who don’t post on here. Be honest and admit what brought you here, it was indoors, my friends went, wondered what it was all about, somewhere to go. Or told it was exciting, physical big time, amazing atmosphere, end of seat entertainment, fighting allowed with a 5 min penalty. Anyway we all have our views on this, it’s just that some ( don’t get it ) that’s a joke by the way.
I get the fight aspect, especially to resolve an on ice issue, and will cheer on any of our guys involved. But not for goons sake. If hockey goes back there it will die. This year with our limited squads, I think our guys have been told to reign it in to avoid bans. I did see Louis go for a storm guy yesterday but he got off the ice first.

In short, fights for a reason yes, fights for fights sake, no.
 

Wannabe2

Well-Known Member
I get the fight aspect, especially to resolve an on ice issue, and will cheer on any of our guys involved. But not for goons sake. If hockey goes back there it will die. This year with our limited squads, I think our guys have been told to reign it in to avoid bans. I did see Louis go for a storm guy yesterday but he got off the ice first.

In short, fights for a reason yes, fights for fights sake, no.
Totally agree and if I come across as wanting fights for fights sake that’s the negative of posts as opposed to conversation. I don’t want pantomine crap, that’s for the wrestling arseholes. Just like physical sport that has a reason to be physical.
 

Devil94

Well-Known Member
I'm personally 'meh' about fighting, if it happens it happens, and if it doesn't then fine. Certainly not the reason I go to hockey or how I got in to it in the first place.

The reality is though, whether you like it or not, is that 'snowflake', 'boring' or whatever you call hockey is now just hockey. There's no way it's going backwards, it will continue to go in the same direction. A fight will soon become an automatic game penalty, then bans will start to creep in. Fighting will become rarer and rarer, it's inevitable. So complaining about it like it's something that could change is a bit pointless imo.

That's not just the Devils, that's every team and league in the world. If what happened yesterday happened 15 years ago it probably would have been a brawl. But that's not the mindset of hockey players these days.

Anyway, I'm glad Devils fans have found something new to complain about during this winning streak.
 

voth26

Well-Known Member
It’ll be reviewed. Watched the clip back and I do see a spear from Coughler. I really don’t think it would be enough for a game suspension but then again, who knows what the Dops wheel will land on
If you watch the highlights, they clearly show Ginn leaving his net to go behind it and spearing Lammon after Ben scored his goal and Hamilton cross-checking Lammon again after we scored, both incidents were right in front of the ref and not in play so if Coughler gets a ban I'd expect DOPS to look at these incidents
 

Wannabe2

Well-Known Member
To Devils 94 ,And then it will be a bigger minority sport in Britain than it is now, we are a physical nation and have been since time began, whether it was building the Commonwealth, Ruling the waves, kicking arse with everyone else, or winning two world wars obviously with help. That’s why Rugby is loved by so many, and boxing is so successful,we love the rough stuff here, we always have it’s a Brit thing believe it or not it’s true.
 

Chris

Administrator
To Devils 94 ,And then it will be a bigger minority sport in Britain than it is now, we are a physical nation and have been since time began, whether it was building the Commonwealth, Ruling the waves, kicking arse with everyone else, or winning two world wars obviously with help. That’s why Rugby is loved by so many, and boxing is so successful,we love the rough stuff here, we always have it’s a Brit thing believe it or not it’s true.
Out of interest, where do the following fall into your 'rough stuff' ratings and explanation as to why they're so popular in this country:

Football
Tennis
Cricket
Cycling
Swimming
Athletics in general

Even horse racing must fall into the top 10 somewhere and other than jockeys falling off at speed i'm not sure I see the 'rough stuff' angle of that? Or maybe as someone else posted, those sports are just for 'snowflakes' :rolleyes:
 

Samael

Well-Known Member
Success is what got me following the devils, not scrapping. I remember watching the Wembley shoot out against Murrayfield on grandstand and l was absolutely thrilled by it. I didn't understand the game, could barely see the puck but l liked what l saw and started going down the wnir.

The game has changed considerably since the late 80s early 90s and that is due to the Nhl wanting to clean up the image of the sport and make it more family friendly to rake in more $$$. Let's be honest, hockey fights are usually pantomime, over in less than 10 seconds and it's just two guys yanking on each others Jerseys. I don't understand some of the dinosaurs on here sometimes who whine because the eihl isn't a beer league, quite literally sponsored by Heineken and full of knuckle draggers who can't skate or handle a Puck.
 

Rempel16

Well-Known Member
Success is what got me following the devils, not scrapping. I remember watching the Wembley shoot out against Murrayfield on grandstand and l was absolutely thrilled by it. I didn't understand the game, could barely see the puck but l liked what l saw and started going down the wnir.

The game has changed considerably since the late 80s early 90s and that is due to the Nhl wanting to clean up the image of the sport and make it more family friendly to rake in more $$$. Let's be honest, hockey fights are usually pantomime, over in less than 10 seconds and it's just two guys yanking on each others Jerseys. I don't understand some of the dinosaurs on here sometimes who whine because the eihl isn't a beer league, quite literally sponsored by Heineken and full of knuckle draggers who can't skate or handle a Puck.
Definitely a dinosaur in terms of my views on the physical aspect of the sport. But it's very much merited I feel.

When i consider fighting and it's impact, it's not the fight itself that's important, it's the effect it has on the players. When there's a fight, or a game with so much physicality and anticipation of it spilling over, it makes the overall game better. Every player seems to go an extra pace, throws a hit that they wouldn't normally throw. Players don't look like they're simply going through the motions (as is the case with 70% of games these days).

No game I've witnessed live had the same intensity throughout it as the Devils v Steelers game back in the 2008/09 season. There wasn't a single fight in 60 minutes, just so much intensity and bad blood that the game felt like it could erupt at any moment. It erupted at the end - with Latulippe fighting Joe Talbot, settling a score that had been escalating in the media pre-game and throughout the game.

What led to that? Previous encounters with the Steelers, leading to a ridiculous 12 game ban for Voth and antics from Andrew Sharp leading to a huge ban.

I don't even remember the score of the game, but the feeling of intensity will stick with me forever. Give me nights like that over wins every day of the week.

It's not about the fights - it's about that missing feeling in the air, when the anticipation is building on the ice for an all out war.
 

moggy#9

Well-Known Member
IMO what makes hockey attractive is its speed and skill. Fighting has a place, but only in protecting the high skill players. Gretzky has credited the fact he was able to be so successful to his minders. Low skill teams would want to drag down the better teams as a way to stay in games.

Prearranged fights and goons turn the game into pantomime, or wwe. There's nothing wrong with a physical game or answering the call when necessary, but if fighting is a means to an end, not the end in itself.
 

Samael

Well-Known Member
Definitely a dinosaur in terms of my views on the physical aspect of the sport. But it's very much merited I feel.

When i consider fighting and it's impact, it's not the fight itself that's important, it's the effect it has on the players. When there's a fight, or a game with so much physicality and anticipation of it spilling over, it makes the overall game better. Every player seems to go an extra pace, throws a hit that they wouldn't normally throw. Players don't look like they're simply going through the motions (as is the case with 70% of games these days).

No game I've witnessed live had the same intensity throughout it as the Devils v Steelers game back in the 2008/09 season. There wasn't a single fight in 60 minutes, just so much intensity and bad blood that the game felt like it could erupt at any moment. It erupted at the end - with Latulippe fighting Joe Talbot, settling a score that had been escalating in the media pre-game and throughout the game.

What led to that? Previous encounters with the Steelers, leading to a ridiculous 12 game ban for Voth and antics from Andrew Sharp leading to a huge ban.

I don't even remember the score of the game, but the feeling of intensity will stick with me forever. Give me nights like that over wins every day of the week.

It's not about the fights - it's about that missing feeling in the air, when the anticipation is building on the ice for an all out war.
I understand what you are saying, sanctioned violence on the ice can be exciting. All I am saying is l would rather watch Moria, McEwen and Martin brand of skillful fast hockey rather than Heavey, Ware and Voth brand of enforcer/goon hockey. It never attracted me personally to the game back then and it doesn't now. I cheer far louder for a goal than l do for a meaningless fight and a two minute roughing penalty. Yes hockey isn't golf, it's a contact sport, but nor is it ufc either and reading some of the remarks of the entitled minority on here they feel they have a legitimate grievance because they don't see a bloodbath on a weekly basis, OK then....
 

Rempel16

Well-Known Member
I understand what you are saying, sanctioned violence on the ice can be exciting. All I am saying is l would rather watch Moria, McEwen and Martin brand of skillful fast hockey rather than Heavey, Ware and Voth brand of enforcer/goon hockey. It never attracted me personally to the game back then and it doesn't now. I cheer far louder for a goal than l do for a meaningless fight and a two minute roughing penalty. Yes hockey isn't golf, it's a contact sport, but nor is it ufc either and reading some of the remarks of the entitled minority on here they feel they have a legitimate grievance because they don't see a bloodbath on a weekly basis, OK then....
That's fair.
It's the combination of the lot for me. And unfortunately the sanitised version that we see in today's game has led to many fans walking away. Back of block 2 in the BBT - barely any go regularly anymore as the games just aren't exciting enough to draw the fans who've seen those intense rivalries.

But I accept that the game is moving on, and each of those fans have now been replaced with a new fan who's never heard of Macwilliam, Ware or Voth, so the club certainly isn't suffering. I just hope that that the skill of the game in this country can sustain the entertainment when the phyisality has gone completely.
 

Ocko

Well-Known Member
To me the fighting side of the game represents a bit more than just the entertainment of seeing blokes punch each other in the face. I’ve played in leagues that allow fighting (before I’m corrected I know it’s not ‘allowed’, but you know what I mean) and the physicality shows the togetherness of the team, what it means for players to play for the team and what they are willing to do for each other. It you haven’t played the game above rec then give Brent Walton’s podcast a go. He talks about when he fought with Noble and how it was important for the team that he did. Batch and Salters (I think) were on the ice but he was still the ones who did it.

It’s a character thing for me. The game needs emotion. Even the perceived ‘staged fights’ have a purpose; it’s not for the fans. It’s for their team mates, to get them going or to send a message. The rules on fighting haven’t changed for years, it’s the hitting rules that have which has meant the game has lost it’s intensity is why we’re seeing less fights. I don’t doubt that Louis and Batch will go, there just hasn’t been many incidents to warrant them doing it. I don’t think it’s even down to squad sizes, players won’t think of that when they’re sticking up for their teammates.
 

E.D.S.

Well-Known Member
Hockey has evolved in the same way football has. There's no more bone crunching tackles in football any more. It's about speed and skill. That's the draw of the Premier League now. Footballs that no longer fly in straight line but dip, swerve and bend due to the technology involved. Hockey is the same. Technology has moved that sport on so much as has the fact that these guys (by and large) are athletes. They train as hard off the ice as on the ice. Things have changed hugely in that respect. The game has become quicker as a result. Fighting is the rarity now instead of the norm. The days of McMorrow and Voth, Voth and Campbell/Payette guaranteeing to square off are gone. The guys step up when needed or when allowed I guess. That aside.... there's no excuse for the lack of physicality that we've seen at times. The game still has checking at it's core.
I have no issue with what I see regarding the fights. I see Louis policing what he should when he should. He has no issue in dropping the gloves at all. There must be a bigger reason why he doesn't - could be a game related reason, a coaching reason, an injury reason - who knows. I do know that I don't go to the hockey for the fighting. Physicality and skill, yes. Fighting, No.

Hockey will encourage a new set of supporters for different reasons. They wont be attending because they are guaranteed a bench clearance or Mike Ware losing it. It'll be because of the skill and speed - like the Premier League. You see all the kids practicing skills and flicks these days because that what the sport is. It's not like the old days but the quality of hockey is nothing like it is now, in terms of the calibre of players and speed. That's the product, I personally, want to see.
 

Wannabe2

Well-Known Member
Unfortunately with football it also has a massive increase in theatricals, rolling over 15 times like you have been hit by a bus,screaming on your way down to the ground only to be fixed by the magic sponge, trying your hardest to get an opponent booked, or even better sent off, diving like a bloody pelican to get a penalty. Faster more skilful football yes, but a huge increase in cheating unfortunately.
 
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