Hockey Day in Canada

Man I love hockey. Shocker, right?
For me, one of the best things about hockey has always been the honour amongst the players.
Without honour, you have nothing. Don Cherry calls it "The Code". I am really not sure where The Code disappeared but it's gone. What happened last night in Long Island is a disgrace to the game, the fans and most of all The Code.

I can't put my finger on the exact moment when we lost our way but I think it might have been when Ulf Samuelsson knee'd Cam Neely. That lack of respect for another player's safety was disgusting. Our game never recovered and it's been downhill ever since. Now we have so many examples of that lack of respect that we can't keep track of them. Rule changes and suspensions will not solve the problem.

We need a culture change and that change begins and ends in minor hockey. To take that point even deeper, the change begins and ends with hockey parents. Young hockey players must be taught to respect their opponent. Putting a 'STOP' sign on the back of their jersey's isn't enough. The discussion about respect starts at the dinner table.

Finish your check--yes. Nail a guy into row 8 just because you can---no. Dangerous hits--bench clearing brawls are only symptoms of a huge problem. I also find it troubling to see our sports media glorifying these acts with multiple replays and excited hyperbole. Enough already. Some of these 'great hits' ended careers! Eventually someone is going to die as a result of a 'great hit'. It has to stop.

Mike Milbury calls this kind of thinking the 'pansification' of hockey.

I call it 'The Code'.

I call it respect.

Happy Hockey Day in Canada!