MONTREAL — Jarome Iginla didn’t pull any punches when the topic of fighting came up. The Calgary Flames captain said the one-on-one on-ice combat is a necessary part of hockey, and eliminating it would cause more dangerous situations.
“It’s a very physical and a very intense game. There would be more stickwork, absolutely,” Iginla said Saturday after an All-Star practice. “I think it does help police (the game). You’re a lot more responsible for what you’re doing out there as far as dirty hits and stickwork and stuff.
“If you know that fighting is there, that there is that threat of it, you have to back up what you’re doing.”
As is the case from time to time, the debate over fighting in hockey is raging hot again. The death of a Canadian senior amateur player and a seizure by an AHL combatant during bouts has raised the question if the act of dropping the gloves has outlasted its purpose.
Players are bigger and stronger than ever before, and part of the code of fighting is the removal of helmets at the start to protect their hands. Don Anderson, a 21-year-old Whitby Dunlops defenseman hit his head on the ice after losing his helmet while fighting Dec. 12 in an Ontario Hockey Association game, and died on Jan. 2.
Garrett Klotz was taken off the ice on a stretcher Friday night after having a seizure during a bloody fight in the opening seconds of the Philadelphia Phantoms’ 2-1 victory over Manchester. He was discharged from the hospital Saturday.
“I do think that fighting does have a place in the game,” said Iginla, who has three fights this season and 49 in his NHL career according to the Web site hockeyfights.com. “I can see some of the benefits of keeping your helmet on before a fight. I have taken it off a lot in the past and I’ve definitely thought about it more.
“It’s always been a mutual thing to save each other’s hands, but our heads are a lot more important than that.”
Missing the kid: Count Washington Capitals forward Alex
Ovechkin among those who are missing Sidney Crosby at All-Star weekend.
For the second consecutive year an injury sustained shortly before the midseason festivities knocked out Crosby, the NHL’s most familiar face. The Pittsburgh Penguins captain was forced to skip the 2008 game in Atlanta because of a high ankle sprain. A balky knee wrecked his plans this year, denying fans the opportunity to see the NHL’s two most recent regular-season MVPs playing together.
“It’s the second time in a row,” said Ovechkin, who edged Crosby for rookie of the year honors in 2006 “I think he wants to be here, but it is what it is. You can’t play when you’re injured.
“It’s too bad. He is a great player, and to play against him is a big pleasure. To be able to play with him on the same team would be pretty cool.”
Stars sit out: Although a few players, including Nicklas
Lidstrom and Pavel Datsyuk of the defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings, have stayed home from the All-Star game to nurse injuries, those who did make it to Montreal don’t view the absences as a rampant problem.
However, the reality remains that if more and more players look to avoid the weekend, the event will suffer. Fans want to see the best of the best on display.
“Lidstrom has been here like a ton,” San Jose Sharks defenseman Dan Boyle said. “The big picture is we all want to win the Stanley Cup. We are responsible to our teams to be the best that we can. If those guys need days off, they should take
“Never say never, but I can’t see that ever happening where a bunch of guys would say no. It’s still an honor to be here.”
Family feud: Family bragging rights are up for grabs between
cousins Carey Price, the Eastern Conference starting goalie, and Phoenix captain Shane Doan, the Coyotes’ representative on the Western Conference team.
“It’s going to be fun,” Doan said. “He’s beaten me twice so hopefully the third time’s going to be the charm.”
The second game Doan referred to was Phoenix’s 4-1 loss in Montreal on Oct. 18.
Reminded that his older cousin scored midway through the third to ruin his shutout bid, Price joked, “it’s on!”
“I’ve always watched him,” Price said. “He’s always been the star of the family and now I actually get an opportunity to play with him in something like this. It’s almost surreal.”
Alps stars: Austria and Switzerland have a rooting interest in
the Eastern Conference team’s performance this weekend. Buffalo’s Thomas Vanek and New York Islanders defenseman Mark Streit are their respective countries’ first All-Star participants.
“Growing up in Austria, the all-star game was never even in my dreams,” Vanek said. “My dream was playing in the NHL and I never dreamt bigger than that, which is the all-star game for a lot of European guys. For me to be here right now, it’s surreal.”
Streit left Montreal as a free agent last summer to sign a five-year, $20.5 million free deal with the Islanders.
The 31-year-old Swiss national team captain was just as proud as his Austrian teammate of being a part of the all-star experience and the profile it brings to the sport back home.
“Hockey’s quite a big deal and I don’t think they realize how big it is in North American sports being an all-star,” Streit said.
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