3 ms·
I played hockey for 22 years. The beautiful thing about it is that fighting is the great equalizer. There are unwritten rules that you must follow to avoid ge
by uuilly 19y ago
I played hockey for 22 years. The beautiful thing about it is that fighting is the great equalizer. There are unwritten rules that you must follow to avoid getting stomped by a toothless caveman. For example, if you shadow their star player, you will get dropped. If you are a 2000 lb goalie, you will get drawn into a fight and at least thrown out and at worst hurt. Allowing a little fighting makes the game better b/c the rules don't have to be so explicit. One goon willing to drop his gloves is a more effective way of toning down the dirty side-play than 10 more refs.
- mechanical_fish 19y agoThis is a point that I wish the article had chosen to make: if someone figures out how to bend the rules to gain an immense advantage and unbalance the game, all that happens is that the rules get changed. It's not as if the size of a hockey goal is determined by the laws of physics. And, indeed, unwritten rules are handy because they can be changed on the fly as necessary.