Editorial: Hockey is turning into ‘Thugs on Ice’

Monday, March 15, 2004 | 8:40 a.m.

Last week the National Hockey League suspended Vancouver Canucks forward Todd Bertuzzi through the rest of this season and left open the possibility the suspension could be extended further. Bertuzzi, during a game last week with the Colorado Avalanche, came up on Colorado's Steve Moore from behind and viciously sucker punched him, sending Moore headfirst to the ice. Moore's neck was broken and he received a concussion from the attack, which has caused quite a bit of revulsion about the level of violence in hockey.

While NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman characterized Bertuzzi's suspension as "stern, harsh and quick," this shouldn't detract from the reality that for too long the NHL has tolerated goon behavior. It's surprising that other life-threatening injuries haven't happened from similar cheap shots, which often go unpenalized. Tough physical play is part of hockey, and no one should try to change that essential part of the game, but the increasing viciousness has marred a sport that also requires finesse and incredible skill. Some of the cheap shots that occur in hockey today -- when players, in effect, use their sticks as weapons when they hit an opponent during forechecking -- not only are dangerous but also send the wrong message to the young fans who either participate in the sport or are just simply fans of the game.

Hockey, despite the considerable expansion of new teams in the United States since the 1970s, still isn't nearly as popular here as it is in Canada. And as long as the NHL turns a blind eye to cheap shots and encourages fighting, rather than ban it, the league to many Americans will be viewed as not much more than thuggery on ice, too violent to watch. We already have plenty of athletes in all sports who turn off fans through greed or criminal behavior of the playing field -- there's no need to make us even more disgusted.