What's wrong with TSN having an opinion about fighting? (Other than the fact that their opinion doesn't coincide with yours?)
It's not "trash talk" - it's an opinion.
Well when Michael Lansberg talks about it on every other episode of
Off the Record it gets nauseating.
All I can say to the anti-fighting camp and the homers that licked their chops that a total of three fighters died this year is this:
#1 - It is an abberation that three enforcers died over a few months. This has never happened before and most likely never will within that time frame.
#2 - All three men had situations that didn't relate to fighting. Boogaard into drugs. Rypien was depreseed. Belak was retired (think about that) and had a lot going for him in his life. He had a wife and two girls. He was going to have a job with Nashville as an analyst. The guy didn't have to drop his gloves for the rest of his life. Yet he killed himself. What does this have to do with fighting?
#3 - I'll throw the names of Ron Ellis, Stephane Richer and Theo Fleury to name a few. All three men were clinically depressed at some time. None were enforcers and rarely fought. Am I making more sense here?
#4 - These are grown men. If they want to work on their skills better they are free to do so. They chose to stay in the NHL as enforcers. No one had a gun to their head. And the NHL compensates them very well last time I checked.
#5 - While people love to throw the names of Kordic and Probert as now deceased former fighters I thought I should bring up the names of enforcers who seem to have a brain in their head and have/had done pretty good for themselves post-hockey.
Rob Ray - analyst for Sabres
Tie Domi - former analyst on TSN, just wasn't made for TV though
Terry O'Reilly - Coached the Bruins and led them to a Cup final
Marty McSorley - current analyst
Nick Kypreos - current analyst
Don Cherry - Coach of the year in 1976. Reached two Cup finals and has been pretty much the face of Canada for 30 years
Dave Schultz - coached (still is?) in the minors
Larry Robinson - Won a Stanley Cup as a coach, didn't fight as much, but still
John Ferguson - coached in the NHL
Wayne Cashman - coached in the NHL
Rick Tocchet - coached in the NHL
Anyways, you get the point