Update on Fighting in Junior Hockey

Back in September I posted an article that highlighted rule changes by various junior hockey leagues in an effort to reduce fighting.  The OHL, CJHL and USHL were the most progressive while WHL and QMJHL made little to no change in their rules.  Although their seasons are not over yet I thought I would provide a quick snapshot on progress.

They Knew What They Were Getting Into

On March 22^nd another story was posted about an enforcer who committed suicide.  It didn’t get as much exposure as those about Derek Boogaard, Rick Rypien or Wade Belak because it involved a junior player who didn’t make the big leagues.  I wonder how many more potential stories like this are out there - teenagers who chased their dream of playing in the NHL through the role of a fighter.

Different League, Same Culture

This week it was widely reported that the junior hockey leagues in Canada are moving steadily to eliminate fighting from their organizations.   Lots of media outlets picked up the story and the majority of the articles were positive about the change.  However, just a few days later, some of the real culture was starting to leak out from under the top level of league management as junior coaches and players added their voices to the discussion.