Redemption for a Travesty

Maybe I just had too much time on my hands. But for some reason when "Slap Shot 2" was staring me in the face last week, I decided to give it a second viewing. The movie itself, sucks. I hated it the first time, I wasn't impressed the second time. It does no justice to the first movie-- a sports cinematic classic. There are, of course, a few classic lines in the sequel-- my personal favourite: "What the fuck do they know about hockey in Omaha, Nebraska?" But other than that-- the movie is nothing compared to the original.

But in between my first viewing, about 3-4 years ago, and my viewing last week I have changed. As part of my studies, I have taken a film theory class and a film history class. And the first thing they said in the film history class was: "you'll never be able to view a movie in the same way." They were right.

Watching a movie no longer is just watching a movie. (Don't get me wrong ladies, I still love to curl up with someone sweet and watch movies at home) Now watching a movie involves a deeper knowledge of the film, the director, what was happening in the world when the movie was made-- and upon a second or third viewing, you can see things that normally seem mundane. Everything in the scene is there for a reason.

So, I bit. I decided, I wanted to know what possessed these people to drag down this movie franchise. And the answers I found made me much happier about the movie. It's a propaganda film-- combating the changes the blowhards in the NHL continue to force on the game itself.

It is so basic-- why did they make the second movie? To re-emphisize what the first movie was about. Old Time Hockey. There used to be two reasons to cheer at a hockey game: a goal, and a fight. Hockey games used to be battles. But people perceived the game as too violent and decided to make a change.

Why? Are we saying hockey is more violent than football? More violent than basketball? More violent than soccer? More violent than rugby? Hell no. In fact, it has been said that there is more contact in a basketball game than in football. I'm not sure I totally believe it, but someone made the assessment. And football has contact on EVERY play.

Fighting, checking, tempers-- it's a part of hockey. There is allegedly no fighting in baseball-- yet every couple weeks there it is on Sportscenter-- a bench-clearer. And don't get me started on the amped up tempers in the NBA. Hell, fights and suspensions in the NBA come everyday anymore. Hockey has done a fine job of restricting the frequency of bench-clearing brawls-- you might see one or two in a season-- and usually in some low-level game, not in the NHL. But that doesn't mean we need to eliminate fights from the sport completely. If there was no place for fighting in hockey, then there would have been rules to prevent it before now. By messing with the rules we are messing with the history of the game. And this isn't some small changes to the playing conditions-- this is a change to satisfy a vocal minority.

This vocal minority is the same group who years ago thought Elvis was obscene. If you are that uptight about what you see-- just don't own a television, listen to the radio for your news, and build yourself a bubble where you can rule your own personal space as you see fit. Stop ruining things for other people.

Yes, the players are getting bigger, and with bigger players, open space on the ice is going away. So what? They're athletes. They have skill. They have the strength and agility to fight through this. A hard-hitting, low-scoring, action-packed, thriller is much better than an 18-goal game decided in a shootout. If the recent influx of European players can't take the physical play of the NHL, then they should go back and play in Europe. When the NHL had just 6 teams, every player on each team could shoot, pass, check, play defense, and fight if they had to. Now we have Jaromir Jarg bitching because he has no room to skate. Too bad. Toe Blake, Eddie Shore, Dit Clapper, Bobby Hull, and Gordie Howe are going to kick your ass in the parking lot.

Gordie Howe was ten-times the player Jagr, Lindros, Forsberg, and Kovalchuk are put together. Ever heard of a Gordie Howe hat-trick? That's a goal, assist, and fight in the same game. Yes, Gordie could do it all. And don't get me wrong, there are a few guys in the NHL that are of the same breed. I'd put Iginla, Bertuzzi, Pronger, Rob Blake, and Gomez up against any other combination in the game. Guys who can score, and don't mind getting their noses dirty.

Hockey is a great sport. It's takes a delicate blanace of many abilities. It might very well be the hardest sport to play. I love it. Stop trying to mess with the game. If you don't like the physical play on the ice, I suggest to look to swimming or chess. I'd suggest curling, but the stone crashing together might be too violent for you.