Since the origins of the game we call hockey, the physical aspect has been important to fans and players. Showing courage towards your teammates, but especially towards yourself, was practically a rite of passage on the ice. With the evolution of the game and the domination of the sport by talented players, violence and brutality seem to have lost their place on the ice. The purpose of this article will be to highlight the good, bad and ugly sides of violence in hockey and determine its relevance in the modern game. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Although often viewed negatively, there are many positive connotations associated with violence and physicality in hockey. Early on, these traits developed a culture and identity for the sport and helped popularize the game. Long before a salary or career could be had in hockey, the game was played for sport and community pride. Helmets were still a figment of the imagination and players regularly risked their health by entering the ice. Shot blocking, cutting, fighting, and brutality were all part of showing courage to yourself, your teammates, and the opposition. This type of game has also proven to attract a lot of crowds and fanfare. When World War I began, the ferocity and camaraderie aspects of the game had mentally prepared enlisted players. Players found that many values ​​on the ice could be carried over to the battlefield and vice versa. This often violent game of hockey was applauded by many who saw it as a reliable and necessary guardian of masculinity and military preparedness. Upon their return, the Canadian soldiers felt that the physical side of hockey filled a void in their lives. Some still haunted by the war, played to feel alive. Others, who returned with burning purpose and missed the war, played for the camaraderie of battle. Playing hockey reacclimated players to their community and built a social structure for veterans. Sometimes the nature of the game, as well as the nature of the players, resulted in fights, hits, and relieving all the stress of life on the ice. Overall, with no one dying or mortally injured, this brutal game was a positive outlet for these soldiers and the rest of society. From an economic perspective, violence contributed greatly to the commercialization of hockey. The television broadcast contracts, large revenues and overall popularity of leagues such as the NHL can be attributed in part to the physicality of the game. Historically, people have watched hockey for a few simple reasons: to enjoy the craft, to cheer for a team and have the chance to see grown men joining hands. A lot of energy and audience engagement would come from contact, and fans would stand up if a fight was started. An attractive game with added violence sold more tickets and sold the sport in many different markets, allowing the league to grow. As an old hockey saying goes: "I went to a fight the other night and a hockey game broke out." » Gordie Howe, a Canadian icon and one of the most beloved players in history, invented what is now known as the "Gordie Howe hat-trick", in which a player scores a goal, gets an assist decisive and participates in a fight at the same time. game. Fighting and violence were aspectscelebrated hockey players and contributed to the overall mythology and culture of the sport. The following is an excerpt from an article detailing the famous 2012 Penguins-Flyers playoff game and the impact of violence on television from those playoffs. evaluations. "With growing concern about traumatic brain injuries and concussion impacts in the game, amplified by Sidney Crosby's ongoing issues as well as the high-profile deaths of three henchmen last summer - it's safe to assume that difficult things displayed this playoffs would be detrimental to the health of the game, leading fans to turn off and tune out. That hasn't been the case With the violence, playoff ratings are up, way up; Game 3 between the Flyers and Penguins, for example, earned a 2.3 rating overnight, a 77% increase over comparable coverage in 2011, and NBC's best rating for a year. playoff game since 2006. Hockey fans seem to be inherently drawn to violence The Western Conference matchup, in the same round of the playoffs between the Predators and Red Wings, was no exception. The NHL fined Shea Weber an astronomical $2,500 for bouncing Henrik Zetterberg's melon like a basketball off the glass. Predators boss Barry Trotz publicly praised the play, and the team's promotions department released a celebratory video and dubbed the practice "Webbering." This shows that even in recent years, violence attracts the largest audience and deserves praise from fans, coaches and players. There is no doubt that this has contributed to the growth of the game, but at this point, violence in hockey could be seen as a primitive tactic that hinders future development. As important as this is to the history of the sport, there are many negative impacts of violence in hockey. Repeated physical trauma takes a toll on players, both mentally and physically. Torn ligaments, brain trauma, nerve damage and nagging injuries plague many current and former players. This affects the physical state, but also the mental state. Quality of life changes with constant pain or discomfort. Concussions have always existed, but until recently they were only diagnosed in the most severe cases. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines a sports-related concussion as a “traumatic brain injury, caused by a bump, blow, or shake to the head that can change the normal functioning of your brain.” We now know that you don't have to pass out to get a concussion. In previous generations, this was not the case. Even if players were knocked out or diagnosed with a concussion, most would be back on the ice within a week and, in rare cases, even return in the same game. The CDC recommends that if, after a head impact or jolt, symptoms of confusion, complaints of headache or dizziness, vomiting, or blurred vision appear, the affected player should be removed from the game and taken immediately for medical care. The evaluation and monitoring of injuries of this nature has become one of the most important topics related to contact sports. Unfortunately, the speed and flow of the game make it almost impossible to prevent these types of injuries. That said, progress has been made in the diagnosis and management of these head injuries, with computerized tests and dark room sessions. The age at which thePlayers being at risk of these injuries constitutes another conflict of interest. A 2011 study conducted by the "Canadian Medical Association Journal" highlighted the growing problem of concussions in youth hockey and stated that the greatest number of injuries are related to body checking. Being hit in the head is not good at any age, but is especially dangerous when it comes to children. Young athletes who participate in contact sports are at significantly higher risk of developing CTE. Published studies suggest that head injuries sustained before age 12 are associated with worse outcomes than those sustained after age 12. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a degenerative brain disease found in athletes, veterans, and others with a history of repetitive brain trauma. trauma. The disease releases excess protein called Tau, which slowly forms masses that spread throughout the brain, killing brain cells. The disease has been seen in adolescents as young as 17 years old, but symptoms usually do not begin to appear until years after the onset of head impacts. Sustaining concussions at a young age is bad not only because the brain is developing, but also because it allows enough time to receive more violent blows. Cumulative (multiple) concussions are a leading cause of permanent brain damage. The physical and mental toll on the body is the real bad side of violence in the game. Historically, violence in hockey has been good for the growth of the game, bad for the health of the players, and sometimes downright ugly for everyone involved . The good side makes us love the thrill and appreciate the ferocity; the bad side makes us question the rules and the nature of action; the ugly side makes us question the merits and culture of sport entirely. Some of the most egregious examples include deaths on the ice resulting from violent actions, crimes, riots, and lawsuits. Unfortunately, there have been more than 10 documented cases of deaths caused by on-ice incidents. The earliest was in 1905, when Alcide Laurin of Maxville, Ontario, was hit with a stick in the temple and pronounced dead on the ice, and most recently in 2013, when Russian winger Dmitri Uchaykin died of 'a brain hemorrhage after suffering a heavy blow in Kazakhstan. Hockey championship playoffs. Although this happens very rarely, it puts the game into perspective when you consider the risks involved. Riots and crimes committed by fans in both celebratory and malicious scenarios have also marred the history of the sport. Hockey is in no way responsible for the conduct of its fans or individuals off the ice, but it has been suggested there are times when in-game violence may result in rowdy fans. Mr. Lewis, a senior professor of sociology at Kent State University in Ohio, is one of the leaders in the study of fan violence in sports. He specializes in examining large-scale incidents that frequently occur during the playoffs in major North American sports. Hockey's contribution includes the 2011 Vancouver riots which resulted in more than $4 million in property damage, theft and vandalism. It also includes celebratory riots, like the one that accompanied the Canadiens' Cup victory in 1993, as well as smaller-scale episodes like the one in Chicago following the Blackhawks' 2013 triumph. Lewis concluded that during these incidents, the.