When you think about contact sports the main ones that probably pop into your head are football, boxing, hockey and mixed martial arts. Of all of these pastimes the most vilified currently is Ultimate Fighting. People tend to deride it as barbaric and potentially lethal. And while there is considerable potential for bodily injury there are a myriad of factors that help to keep it safe. In its nearly 17-year history there have only been two verified fatalities. Additionally there is evidence to suggest that the two participants who died were the victims of pre-existing physical ailments that contributed heavily to their untimely deaths. The other sports listed above with MMA have been directly responsible for more deaths in their histories, both in total and on average, than MMA.
Take hockey for example. Hockey players can skate as fast as 25mph. We’ll assume that is top speed. Even when two players skating toward each other at less than top speed, maybe 20mph each collide, that is a 40mph collision. At that speed it is easy to knock someone unconscious. Hitting an unforgiving surface like ice while out cold can be deadly. There are more than a handful of players that have died from on ice head injuries. There are players that have died from taking a frozen puck to the chest too; And this is not old school hockey, this is modern-day hockey. Graham Christie died in 1997 from having his heart stopped by a puck in the chest. And what about Miran Schrott? He died on the ice after being slashed in the chest by an opposing player, stopping his heart. The velocity of the players and the velocity of the puck, combined with player-to-player and player-to-surface (i.e the boards or the ice) contact are bound to collect more lives.
Football’s history is much more grave than that of hockey. The origins of football are littered with deaths. (This is not to mention all the career ending or other crippling injuries such as paralysis that have occurred) According to The National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury, 325 men and boys have died either directly or indirectly from playing football at the high school and college level between 1982-2008 (26 years). Direct injuries are defined as those fatalities, which resulted directly from participation in the fundamental skills of football (such as tackling and blocking). Indirect injuries are those injuries that are caused by systemic failure as a result of exertion while participating in football activity or by a complication, which was secondary to a nonfatal injury (such as heart failure and heat stroke). 1990 was the first and only year there was no fatality in any level of football from the years 1931–2008.
It is remarkable to think that football goes largely uncriticized as a potentially hazardous sport while a sport like mixed martial arts is still referred to by people, ignorant of the rules and practices of MMA, as “barbaric” or “human cockfighting.” This basic misconception of the sport is a detriment to its legitimacy as a high level athletic endeavor.
The worst sport to this day for deadly injuries and certainly life altering injuries is boxing. Boxing gloves are 14oz – 16oz and are designed to protect the hands of the puncher and not the head of the punchee. Oddly enough it does a great job of protecting the punchers hands to the extent that he can deliver far more blows to his opponents head and thus cause much greater cerebral damage than if he were simply able to knock his opponent out with smaller gloves like MMA participants wear.
MMA gloves are 4oz. They protect the hand to a moderate degree, but still allow knockouts to occur. I bet you never thought a knock out would be safe. But in comparison to repeated blunt force trauma, it is by far the safer alternative. The main goal in boxing is to hit your opponent until he is unconscious or unable to continue from repeated blows to the head. Further, it is rare that a fighter’s corner will throw in the towel to save their fighter. It is considered shameful and unmacho. Mixed martial arts, though, has a variety of ways to end fights. Furthermore there is no stigma to submitting whether it is to a Brazilian Jujitsu technique like a choke, joint lock or due to strikes. It is actually considered intelligent to submit to joint locks or strikes to avoid serious injury. Maybe that makes boxers (and football player and hockey players) tougher than MMA guys. I guess you can just keep stacking those tough dead guys on top of each other while the less tough, but smarter MMA guys live to fight another day. There are many places to train to be a fighter or participate in MMA St Louis, Chicago, New York, Las Vegas, Bettendorf, IA or even Appleton, WI. Simply make sure you find a good, safe school in which to train.
About Rodrigo Vaghi: Rodrigo started his Gracie Jiu-Jitsu at the age of 14, in the original Gracie Academy in Rio de Janeiro. Vaghi’s instructors were Grandmaster Helio Gracie and his sons: Rickson, Royce, Royler and Rolker. After many years of training with the Gracie Family, Rodrigo has become a close family friend and black belt instructor representing the undisputed champion of the Gracie’s: Rickson Gracie. Rodrigo Vaghi is the proud owner of Vaghi Martial Arts and head of its Brazilian Jiu Jitsu St Louis Program.
To find hockey players that could brave exhaustion, hockey fights, and sleet and snow, we have to go way back to 1905 and an early Stanley Cup contest. The Stanley Cup had started in 1892, and in those days there was no playoff structure, so an opposing team could simply issue a challenge to the reigning champion. The team from Ottawa presently held the title, and a team from Dawson City in the Klondike issued a challenge to Frank McGee and his Ottawa team. The Klondike in the Alaskan wilderness that was having a gold rush just like the one in California in the 1840s. Adventurers and people looking to strike it rich rushed into the area, and one of the lucky ones, Colonel Joe Boyle, issued a challenge to the Ottawa Silver Seven for the Stanley Cup.
The Silver Seven were known for their physical and sometimes cruel playing style, but this rough and tumble town felt they were up to the match. The team had raised the $3000 they needed to get to Ottawa, and now they just needed to get a few more players. They picked up Albert Forrest, a seventeen-year-old goalie, and the youngest player in Stanley Cup history. In the middle of their journey the rag-tag hockey team picked up their last team member.
The journey started in mid December in the frozen north, leaving Dawson City by dogsled. The team covered about forty miles a day, and temperatures got as low as twenty-eight degrees below zero. Travel by dogsled requires that you walk alongside the sleds for large stretches of time, and most of the team got sore feet and blisters on this part of the trip. They arrived near Juneau, Alaska too late for the weekly steamboat, and waited a week for the next boat to Seattle. The hockey team finally got to Vancouver, where they caught the train to take them to Ottawa. As the train traveled across the Canadian north, towns were alerted that the hockey team was coming, and they were met at the station by enthusiastic crowds that
cheered them on.
It took twenty-four days to go from Dawson City to Ottawa, and the visiting hockey team arrived only one day before the Stanley Cup competition was scheduled to begin. Tired from travel, the train, and the dogsled, they asked for an extension. The Ottawa Silver Seven said no, and so the contest of three hockey matches began the next day. Ottawa won the first game nine to two. That evening one of the Klondikers remarked that the legendary McGee of the Silver Seven, who was blind in one eye, “didn’t look like much”, since he had scored only one goal.
The remark was reported to McGee, who responded in Game 2 with fourteen goals total, including eight goals in a row. The final score for Game 2 was twenty-three to two. One of the most difficult trips to get to a Stanley Cup competition ended in the worst rout of any game in its history. And the final blow for Forrest, the youngest of the Klondikers: once he was back in Alaska, he had to walk the final 350 miles to his home.
The language used in hockey is so detailed that only a true hockey enthusiast can really understand each and every term that’s used by referees and many of the terms used are also the same things that cost some teams penalty shots or even time in the penalty box. There are a total of 27 different plays that are considered penalties according to league rules and regulations. In order to be a referee one must know all the terms and what they mean and to be able to execute them during a game. A hard-core hockey fan can learn this easily through enough exposure to the game.
Learning the terms used in play calls are almost similar to what referees in basketball and football do since there’s a lot more calls than you would see in baseball. The most common of calls is when players fight against each other or against rival team players. Most of the other calls aren’t frequently used so much, but you’re likely to see a lot more fighting and unsportsmanly conduct on the ice. In order for someone to completely understand the terminology it’s what you call an acquired talent because it takes a lot of listening and patience to really embrace the terms used in this line of sport.
Some players who have tempers or behavior that’s unconventional or unsavory can be linked to a respective term which doesn’t help that particular player(s) because this only feeds into how the media views them too when they have to do by-lines for their articles and stories. The terms are so out of the ordinary it’s like they need their own dictionary or thesaurus to make full sense to those who don’t understand these terms enough to really explain them in detail. Either way the terms are very much a reality in hockey since back in years past the terminology wasn’t even in existence.
Some of the expressions in hockey today weren’t even used in the past, but as modifications in language changed that’s when they came up with these funky expressions for player’s behavior, team pep talks, and when it came down to someone’s playing ability there was a special term for everything and some of it is quite hilarious if you hear it often enough. The expressions alone could have their own section in the dictionary since for someone that doesn’t understand hockey they surely won’t understand the terms that both players and coaches will use on a constant basis.
Most of the time you’ll just see people using terms for poor sportsmanship and fighting since most of the time the other terms are used during a game. The hockey world is almost separate from every other sport because of the uniqueness of them using words that aren’t even along the lines of football and basketball since the terms are more in depth than the other two sports. Unless you’re a hockey enthusiast you’ll never really understand the terms of this sport. That’s why it’s a learned trait to understand the language used in hockey. If you sit with someone you can learn things most normal people who are not hockey fans don’t hear very often. The average hockey fan that is totally into the game are busy using 4 letter words more than staying calm. The adrenaline rush is so great that many hockey fans can actually make themselves dizzy from the stress.
Many fans don’t realize how hyped up they can get even at a simple referee call which can sometimes incite stuff on the ice with players going at it with each other.
Let’s go back twenty years to the Olympics of Lake Placid. It was 1980, and in those years the NHL hockey stars could not be chosen for the Olympics. The athletes were chosen at the National Sports Festival in Colorado Springs, Co., where they went to demonstrate their skills. After rigorous training and months of playing together as a team, they were finally at the Olympics, and the chant “USA! USA!” was making the arena shake, as this team of young college men were about to upset Czechoslovakia by a score of 7 to 3.
Czechoslovakia won the silver medal in the previous Olympics, and was the world champion team in both 1976 and 1978. This was only two days after the US team had battled to a 2 to 2 tie with Norway, another game no one really thought they had a chance to win. For the hockey faithful in America, this was starting to be the best Olympics since 1960.
Maybe the crowd gave a home advantage to the hockey team, allowing them to put their emotions into the game so that it improved their play. As coach Herbie Brooks said, “We had our minds going flat-out and our legs under control.” His style was hard and fast skating, and working together as a team, and in that game each player showed how well he understood that style of hockey. The Olympics ice hockey rink is 100 feet wide, which means there is a lot of open ice, and Coach Brooks style tended toward breaking toward open ice and skating hard. He had adopted the European style of hockey in order to be able to fight against it most effectively. As he said “We had to cram two or three years of experience playing this way into five months of exhibition games.”
There are always key players on hockey teams, and Coach Brooks knew he would need a very good goalie, who at times could give a superior performance. Jim Craig, the former Boston University goalie, came through against Czechoslovakia. The opposing team goalie, Jiri Kralik, did not have a good night. The entire US team was young, with an average age of twenty-two, and perhaps a young team did not have enough experience to know that they weren’t skilled enough to beat the top European teams.
When all of the teams arrived in Lake Placid, right wing Dave Silk spent some time looking over the other teams and nationalities. He saw that the Czechs had “Russian muscles”, which meant that it wasn’t hard for them to hold a defenseman at bay during the game. He found the East Germans the most unsettling, for they used their spare time to play a game called Submarine, where they kept sinking American battleships. Coach Brooks knew that his team was comparing themselves and told them “You go up to the tiger, spit him in the eye, and then shoot him.” The strong hand of the coach, the amazing effort of the young team, and the enthusiasm of the crowd allowed the team to bring home the gold medal.
Hockey is a sport that is physically demanding and is popular in areas that are significantly cold such as Canada, United States, Russia, and some parts of Europe like Norway, Sweden, and Scandinavia. The game consists of 22 players that are rotated in at 6 players at a time. The game is played in a 3 20 minute periods and overtime is played in 20 minute periods until a goal is made by either side and this applies if it’s a tied game at the last period and this is one way to break a tie to end a game-as of the late ties are no longer allowed in the NHL.
The game itself has modified itself over the time since its conception with the establishment of strict regulations and like it was back in Europe where the referee was in the audience instead of on the field where today the referee is actually on the ice with the players skating back and forth and they have 2 of them on the ice to watch the players and confer calls between themselves and the league officials who are watching from the sidelines as well. The league behavior of the past and today is way different because the regulations are much more organized and this time they added the penalty box which means a player that’s committed a move on the ice or some play that wasn’t a part of the league-mandated rule book is kicked off the ice and have to sit out the rest of the period or game depending on what the referee decides.
If players are called too many times it can result in penalty shots, which can give points to the rival team. The game has really taken a turn in the years with players becoming really aggressive and to the point that they’re actually fighting on the ice which says a lot about how the first real hockey players played since they had up to 30 people per team which is less than the number on today’s NHL teams The way hockey is played today is amazing because you see fights that take place on the ice between fellow players and rival players and sometimes the referee will end up in the middle of the brawls that happens on the ice because they’re busy trying to break them up because some of the brawls can get bloody because they usually have fist fights because it would be assault with a weapon if they used a stick or even their helmets. Many hockey players have fought so bad they actually broke the protective glass at rink side from them hitting it so hard when they’re busy going at it like children on the playground.
This is the reality of hockey in today’s world, which can result in serious injuries, which are mostly cuts and bruises from the constant fist fighting on the ice. The fights can result from calls the players feel are unfair and fall in favor with the other team or even a rival player taunting them in some way which can cause them to be angry and combative. Most players are usually sent to the locker room to cool their tempers off so they aren’t so riled up to fight. Hockey is such a high-energy game that anyone can get angry very quick and fast. It’s usually hard not to get angry, but when it comes to the referee that’s a whole separate ballgame. When it comes to the game of hockey it’s like chess your motive is to shoot goals.
Just to prove that Ice Hockey is the greatest game on Earth. ok i do support Middlesbrough Football club so at the moment tiddly winks would be exciting to me!
comment, rate, and subscribe. The Ducks finish things off on home ice against the San Jose Sharks. They eliminated the Sharks 4-2. The Ducks now have a hot date with the Detroit Red Wings! Lets get them Ducks! Also, I update some of you with the new hockey cards I got. So, comment, rate, and subscribe.
The Blues tie the game with Boston with a second left thanks to David Backes baseball style goal. Jackman blocks an empty net attempt late which sets up the goal in this MLK Day Thriller.
Christian Ehrhoff scores on the power play in the 2nd period to tie the game up at 3-3. The Sharks go on to win the game 6-5. *goal is at about the 1:50 mark*
There were 28 new Hockey videos added to the site today, including game highlights from the days NHL matches, some great fights and a fantastic interview with Alexander Ovechkin (below).
1st Period – 11/8/08: The Washington Capitals beat the New York Rangers 3-1 to remain unbeaten at home. Brooks Laich and Tom Poti scored for the Capitals in the first period.
Jim Vandermeer vs Ryan Carter Nov 2, 2008 Jim Vandermeer vs Ryan Carter from the Calgary Flames at Anaheim Ducks game on Nov 2, 2008. via http://www.hockeyfights.com
Darren McCarty vs Mike Brown Nov 2, 2008 Darren McCarty vs Mike Brown from the Detroit Red Wings at Vancouver Canucks game on Nov 2, 2008. via http://www.hockeyfights.com
Brodeur Wins # 6 – Thrashers 1 VS Devils 6 – But With A Cost.. November 1, 2008 Devils Beat The Thrashers.. Broduer – 8 More Wins To Goooo… And Bye Bye To Roys Record.. Brodeur – 6 More Shutouts To Go And Bye Bye Sawchuck\’s Record.. Brodeur Was Injured In The Second Period With A Bruised Elbow And Will Miss The Game Against The Sabres On November 3rd..
Wild vs. Coyotes 11/1/08 – Power Play in 3rd and more Power play action with an extra 2 minutes or so until the next whistle after the power play. The Wild ended up getting an ugly goal later in the 3rd period to win 3-2
NHL Brawl – Detroit Red Wings – Colorado Avalanche Rivalry This brawl happened @ March 26th, 1997. 300 Penalty Minutes during the last Period. Enjoy! Due to several “requests”: The Song is called “Hey Man Nice Shot” by Filter. Congrats to the Stanley Cup 2008! The full credits are going to the original author of that video. It´s not MY work! Keep up with your comments!
The Chicago Tribune visits with legendary Blackhawks organist Frank Pellico, who has been entertaining hockey fans at both the Chicago Stadium and the United Center for almost 20 years.
Vinny Lecavalier makes a nice move, sliding the puck past Toskala with one hand. http://www.nowhockey.com Visit our site for uncompressed video downloads and fantasy gambling via our forum.
Now in the 3rd, over 5 minutes gone by, Grant Marshall centers to Patrik Elias who makes a great move around the Duck defender. Elias gets a backhander off that Jean-Sebastien Giguere stops. But Giguere doesn\’t realize the rebound is still loose, and Elias grabs that rebound and centers back to Marshall for the slam dunk into the empty net, Devils ahead, 2-0! Clip is (c) ESPN and the NHL and no copyright infringement is intended against them. [More] [Less]
Brandon Prust of the Flames fights with Cody McLeod of the Avalanche. http://www.nowhockey.com Visit our site for uncompressed video downloads and fantasy gambling via our forum.
The last 1:06 of play which includes Jeff Friesen\’s 2nd goal of the game into the empty net, which sealed the Devils 3-0 win and Martin Brodeur\’s first Stanley Cup Final shutout! Clip is (c) ESPN and the NHL and no copyright infringement is intended against them.
Another Stanley Cup Commercial using clips of the Stanley Cup Finalists! Clip is (c) ESPN and the NHL and no copyright infringement is intended against them.
Entire shootout between the Montreal Canadiens and Carolina Hurricanes from October 28th, 2008. http://www.nowhockey.com Visit our site for uncompressed video downloads and fantasy gambling via our forum.
