The NHL and Pro hockey in general, can learn a thing or two from The Sopranos episode Sunday night. I thought the episode as a whole was pretty good, but it was the last scene that spoke to me.
Tony was feeling like his crew was slipping away. After showing up at the Pork store to find his boys in various states of doing nothing, you could see he was going to do something about it. Cut to inside the store, and there is Tony sizing up his potential dance partners. After surveying the situation, he decides on the biggest dude in the room as his victim. After accusing his target, a jacked kid named Perry Annunziata, of being too loud with the refrigerator door, he jumps him. Tony lands a very hard right hand before the kid even got the gloves off. Perry got up, and goes after Tony. As he’s pushing Tony back, Tony is coming forward, landing several more hard rights. Finally he sends the kid to the floor, and the fight is over. People were questioning Tony after he had been shot. They will not question him again, as the tilt with the kid showed the boys he was in the game. Here is what The NHL, and goons alike can learn from the fight.
-Get rid of the instigator rule. Tony jumped Perry. I admit it. We all saw it. What the NHL is getting away from is the type of rules that has governed the game forever, are exactly what die hard fans love about the game. The unwritten rule book used to be enforced like today’s hooking, and tripping calls. It was thicker than the actual rule book, and if you broke any of the rules, you were dealt with. Case in point: Daniel Briere ran Tim Thomas a couple of weeks ago so hard, Thomas’ helmet came off. Briere should have been dealt with right then and there. Or, barring that the two tough guys should have slugged it out. Doesn’t matter if you have to leave your bench to do it. When your goalie gets run, you beat up who did it. Not so anymore. Because of the stupid instigator rule, no one does anything, and life goes on.
-Enforcers. Stop asking each other if you want to go all the time. I understand there is honor in the profession, but sometimes, you just have to have a go. My friend Taz always says, "I don’t think Terry O’Reilly ever ASKED anyone if they wanted to go." What would Perry have said if Tony said, "You wanna go?" Probably, "No Tony, I got no problem with you." If you are an enforcer in Pro Hockey, and you want to change the course of a game, you don’t ask, you do. So what if the other person won’t fight? You MAKE them fight you. At the very least it should put a spark in the boys. It will show everyone you are in the game, and ready to do your job.
It’s sad that the only good fight I saw all week was on a fictional TV program. I wonder if Soprano can skate?
Well said Chris.
Thanks Greg.