No More Hockey Fights in The NHL

The stereotypical North American model of masculinity dictates that a ‘real man’ is one who is “heterosexual, Protestant, father, of college education, fully employed, of good complexion, weight, and height, and a recent record in sports” (Kimmel 2). Hockey is a sport that is primarily influenced these masculine norms that are evident in its fights, competition, and violence. These norms harm hockey players and their families. The present text has the intention to illustrate the unfavorable results that hockey fights and current masculine ideals provoke on  NHL hockey players’ mental and physical health, their work performance, their families, and their social relations with other men.

Associating masculinity with job performance could be beneficial for hockey players and their families when things go well. However, if the player is experiencing defeats and poor performances, he would be likely to meet frustration. Low performance could be the result of injuries product of hockey and its fights, the pressure put on the player to satisfy the family’s demands of a provider, and the tensión between the player opinions about fighting and what the NHL requires from him when the player does not want to fight even though he knows that it is the only way of having a career as a hockey player in the NHL. The frustration may be caused by the desire of having a successful career in hockey, satisfying the role of the breadwinner, but having no control over his success in hockey. Players cannot choose not to fight and not to suffer injuries or death produced by the sport and its fights. Frustration is not only damaging for the individual who suffers from it but also for his family. Players, who do not know how to deal with work frustration, feel powerless and eventually fall into depression and/or express these emotions by becoming violent. Unfortunately, spouses and children also pay the consequences of job frustration when the player and father endorses “current masculine norms,”(Kilmartin 232) and do not know how to deal effectively with emotions. (Kilmartin 232-233) Thus, the frustration and the impossibility of controlling success in hockey lead players to have a poor job performance and unhealthy family relationships.

Hockey is a sport that portrays masculinity. Competition and violence are the most prominent characteristics of hockey and current masculine ideals. On one hand, “competition is one component of masculinity that seems to contribute boy’s and men’s difficulty achieving relational intimacy,”(Kilmartin 165) and on the other hand, violence reinforces masculine ideals that advise how men should behave and react in life. Hockey players are taught to be competitive and aggressive since they start playing. Then, competition becomes a lifestyle. Research has shown that competition generates relational distance between men. (Cunningham, 1992 as cited in Kilmartin 166). Hockey players avoid intimacy not only with their teammates but also with all people that could harm them by using their weaknesses and vulnerabilities against them. It leads them to believe that they have to solve all the problems by themselves and ask for no help. “The masculine demand for Independence and self-sufficiency also inhibits self-disclosure” (Kilmartin 165). “These men feel less need to talk to others when they have problems,” (Kilmartin 166) and are more likely to suffer from depression due to a lack of social support (Kilmartin 166). High competitive and violent environments, such as the NHL, creates difficulties for players to establish Deep male-male friendships and re-formulate their ideals of masculinity.

The Hockey fights in the NHL a prejudice players’ physical and mental health. First of all, the chances of having brain injuries increase when players have physical confrontations during a hockey match. Chronic Trauma Encephalopathy  (CTE) is one of the most damaging outcomes of hockey fights not only for the players but also for their families. CTE  is a silent illness that, according to Dr. Ann McKee, “catches up several years to even a decade later” on players. It causes an emotional breakdown in the victims of CTE when it reaches its peak of development. Usually, these people know that there is something wrong going on their minds but they cannot explain it or associate it with CTE produced by the hockey fights. Eventually, CTE may result in substance abuse, depression, memory loss, and, in the worst scenario, suicide when it does not receive a proper psychological treatment. Also, as discussed previously in the present text, men, who subscribe to the masculine ideology of self-sufficiency, are less likely to ask for help when they face a problem in their lives. Therefore, CTE consumes their lives. Secondly, as an important fact to consider, the NHL  does not effectively protect players from CTE.  The NHL claims that without wearing globes and helmets during a fight, fighters are protected from suffering major injuries. However, the reality is different. Hockey players get major injuries and even some of them die on the ice field. Hockey players’ careers get to an end because of major injuries produced by the nature of violence in the sport and/or the fights. Those players who luckily make it to retirement without apparently major injuries, may probably develop CTE soon and therefore get extremely affected by it. Mostly, they have to deal with emotional conflicts that they do not understand, and so do their families. The worst scenario for a player’s family is when the player dies either from fighting or suicide. Hockey players and their families suffer the negative outcomes of hockey fights and the NHL does not take effective actions to prevent hockey players from suffering from CTE or dying on the ice field.

It is essential to understand, reevaluate and change the traditional model of masculinity where the men have to be the breadwinner and self-sufficient. It has had catastrophic effects not only on the hockey players but also on their families. This is evident in male-male poor and shallow relationships, players’ mental and physical health, the grief and challenges that families have to endure when they have a husband and father who is a victim of CTE. As one of the solutions, men need to learn to be emotionally expressive and vulnerable. It is important to clarify that vulnerability does not mean weak but to be human. For a long time, NHL players have suppressed their natural feelings because of fear and desire for a successful career in hockey. However, this is the best time for hockey players and their families to stand up and back away from fear and to start demanding for hockey without fights. Hockey, like any other sport, brings happiness to both players and fans. It should not bring fear, frustration, grief, illness, and even death to their players.

Cited Works

Kimmel, Michael.“Masculinity.” International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. Ed. William A. Darity, Jr. 2nd ed. Vol. 5. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2008. 1-5. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 9 June 2014. 1-5. Print.

 Kilmartin, Christopher and Andrew P. Smiler “Men at Work: Jobs, Careers and Masculinity.” Masculine Self, Cornwall On Hudson, NY, Sloan Publishing, 2019, pp. 221-226,228– 235.

Kilmartin, Christopher and Andrew P. Smiler. “No Man Is an Island: Men in Relationships.” The Masculine Self, Cornwall On Hudson, NY, Sloan Publishing, 2019, pp. 161–171.

CBCnews, CBC/Radio Canada, 24 Nov. 2019, http://www.cbc.ca/fifth/episodes/2019-2020/hockey-fight-wives-reveal-the-cost-of-concussions.

“Oh, Canada”. Much like the national anthem, hockey has been a national emblem for as far as Canadians can remember. It has shaped the dreams of many little boys, who traded hockey cards and dreamt to one day proudly stand in the Bell Center, playing for their favorite NHL team. However, behind the glorious wins and the emotional games, come hockey fights, and with those come injuries, mental illness, and even death. Looking at this issue from a “masculinity” perspective makes it easier to see that these fights and their negative impacts on players’ lives are, in fact, a product of society’s rules of manhood. More particularly, the strong effect hockey fights have on a player’s career, family and mental health are all linked to what we, as a society, define to be masculine.

         For starters, how does society’s definition of masculinity normalize hockey fights? An important aspect of men’s masculinity is “status and achievement” (Kilmartin and Smiler, “Defining Men’s Studies” 5) which is why men feel pressured to be ambitious and always strive to reach the top. Another major component is the “willingness to take risks and become violent if necessary” (Kilmartin and Smiler, “Defining Men’s Studies” 6). This explains why many men have accepted to be the fighters in their hockey teams. According to The Code, a documentary about hockey fights done by CBC’s The Fifth Estate, there are about “60 jobs in the NHL for guys who can’t play, but can fight”, referred to as enforcers (The Fifth Estate, “The Code”, 35:50-35:58). Their job is surprisingly, not to play the sport, but to provide protection to their teammates on the ice by engaging in fights. This gives them the high status and sense of success that comes with being an NHL player, and allows them to constantly display how “tough” and aggressive they are. This shows why hockey fights were not regulated for a long time; they correlated well with society’s expectations towards men so they were considered as a normal part of the game. According to the report, some even consider hockey a sport “based on intimidation.” (The Fifth Estate, “The Code”, 25:40-25:50). Thus, it is clear that the NHL would use these components of masculinity that are widely accepted by society to normalize the hockey fights and make them part of the entertainment.

      Now that we understand better why these fights were commonly accepted for such a long time, it is interesting to link the consequences of these fights to masculinity. For one, society’s rules of manhood encourage hockey fights, negatively impacting men’s careers in the NHL. Take former enforcer Nick Kypreos, for example, who wanted to show how tough and aggressive he was by engaging in a violent hockey fight. He ended up not only losing the fight, but also his career due to serious injury. While these heavyweights are praised for their aggressiveness, enforcer Marty McSorely also lost his career in the NHL for living by this code and inflicting too great of an injury to an opponent player (The Fifth Estate, “The Code”, 18:08-19:07, 25:53-27:08). Yet, these two are still considered lucky. What about Don Sanderson, who lost his life on the ice rink because of a fight? Part of the problem is that this pro-fights mentality is so deeply rooted into many “hockey people.” For example, enforcer Jon Mirasty, also known as Nasty Mirasty for his excessive violence, even said that hockey without fighting is “figure-skating on ice”  (The Fifth Estate, “The Code”, 21:32-21:45). Had it not been in the rules of manhood to be antifeminine (Kilmartin and Smiler, Defining Men’s Studies 5), there would be no shame in comparing hockey to a more “female dominated” sport such as figure skating. If society’s definition of masculinity did not expect men to be, as stated earlier, intimidating and aggressive, hockey fights would have been banned a long time ago and these players would probably have had more time to play their favorite sport. In short, hockey and fights are only inseparable because of the masculinity pushing players to be aggressive and do anything to be at the top of the game, and most of the time they end up having shorter careers because they either inflicted or received a too harsh injury, or even worse, died on the ice. 

Society’s rules of manhood also play a role in the mental health issues resulting from hockey fights. Hockey players are taught to take off their helmets in a fight, because it can lead to a variety of hand injuries (The Fifth Estate, “The Code”, 23:27-23:50) – but what about protecting the head? Clearly, it seems that men do not need their head to perform the fighting, only their hands. Maybe had their heads been better protected, many hockey players would not have suffered concussions and later on, CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy). Another documentary by The Fifth Estate provides several examples of players, such as Todd Ewen and Wade Belak who lost their lives due to depression and substance abuse caused by CTE, a disease that is very common with athletes. The problem is, this disease can only be diagnosed in an autopsy, meaning most ex-players do not even know about it, and keep having mood swings and losing control of their brain without an explanation (The Fifth Estate, “Hockey Fights: wives reveal the cost of the concussions” 13:00-13:50) . For example, according to Todd Ewen’s wife, Kelli, “one day [they] had the sad Todd, the mad Todd, the angry Todd” (The Fifth Estate,“Hockey Fights: wives reveal the cost of the concussions” 12:26-12:37), and because they did not make the link with CTE, Ewen always felt like he was losing his mind and suffered for years from not knowing what was wrong. In fact, one of the main components of masculinity is “inexpressiveness and independence”, which pressures men into being “independent and in control of themselves, even in the toughest situations” (Kilmartin and Smiler, Defining Men’s Studies 5). Research also shows that “when they are hurt, men are less likely than women to seek medical help” (qtd. In Kilmartin and Smiler, “Jobs, Careers and Masculinity” 232). This component of masculinity pushes players not to seek help when they are feeling depressed. Moreover, it is harder for them to talk about their emotions and mental health, because they have a “limited emotional vocabulary and framework” (Kilmartin and Smiler, “Fathers and Fathering” 186), and this can be very dangerous as seen with Belak and Ewen. Thus, masculinity is not only reinforcing hockey fights, it is also making their consequences much worse and much more dangerous when it comes to men’s mental health.

Masculine studies can also help to better understand the consequences of hockey fights on the player’s family relationships. A hockey player may also be both a husband and a loving father, and with this brain injury he often struggles to connect with his loved ones. Both documentaries displayed several players whose family had to go through the terrifying experience of seeing them fight and hope that it does not end badly. As for players who, ten years later, start noticing the symptoms of CTE, they exhibit several behavioral problems that their wives often have to deal with and they struggle to bond with their children. For example, CBC’s documentary talks about Daniel Carcillo, who according to his wife “was always at home” while she was always taking the kids out. She also said that “he just didn’t want to connect with anyone, and sometimes that was with [her] too” (The Fifth Estate, “Hockey Fights: wives reveal the cost of the concussions” 1:25-1:57). For those who have taken their own lives, they have left their families broken. Some kids will grow up without a father, and according to Kilmartin and Smiler, “the quality of the adult son’s relationship with his father was significantly associated with the son’s level of mental health.” A father’s absence, even if it is simply an emotional absence like with Carcillo, has a strong impact on the children, particularly young boys. It also does “appear to have a lasting impact on men’s understanding of themselves and of their lives.” (qtd. Kilmartin and Smiler, “Fathers and Fathering 192). Luckily, Carcillo has made significant efforts to better himself and to connect more with his children, but we can also think of Wade Belak’s daughter, who wishes he could be there watching her games, “giving [her] a hug after a game, or high-fiving [her]” (The Fifth Estate, “Hockey Fights: wives reveal the cost of the concussions” 19:30-19:43). In short, masculinity in hockey fights takes away fathers from their families, consequently affecting the families as well.

Toxic masculinity clearly had its toll on the NHL’s attitudes concerning hockey fights. This shortens many players’ impressive careers, negatively impacts their mental health, and destroys their families in the process. However, as my own mother is a big hockey fan, I have witnessed the awareness about these fights grow, as the rules now are much more strict than they used to be. As the definition of masculinity is changing nowadays and becoming more inclusive, we might want to slow down the next time we hear “Oh, Canada!” in the beginning of a hockey match and consider what hockey we want to pass down to the next generation – an exciting game, or a suicide mission?

Works Cited
Kilmartin, Christopher, and Andrew P. Smiler. “Defining Men’s Studies.” The ` Masculine Self, Cornwall On Hudson, NY, Sloan Publishing, 2019, pp. 1–7. 

Christopher Kilmartin and Andrew P. Smiler. “Fathers and Fathering.” The Masculine Self, Cornwall On Hudson, NY, Sloan Publishing, 2019, pp. 180-182,185-195–171.

Christopher Kilmartin and Andrew P. Smiler. “Men at Work: Jobs, Careers and Masculinity.” The Masculine Self, Cornwall On Hudson, NY, Sloan Publishing, 2019, pp. 221-226, 228–235. 

The Code. Directed by Oleh J. Rumak, The Fifth Estate, 2010. CBC/Radio-Canada. https://www.cbc.ca/fifth/episodes/2009-2010/the-code

Hockey fight: Wives reveal the cost of concussions. Directed by Virginia Smart, The Fifth Estate, 2019. CBC/Radio-Canada. https://www.cbc.ca/fifth/episodes/2019-2020/hockey-fight-wives-reveal-the-cost-of-concussions

Cohen, Tom. “Three Hockey Enforcers Die Young in Four Months, Raising Questions.” CNN, Cable News Network, 1 Sept. 2011, edition.cnn.com/2011/SPORT/09/01/nhl.enforcers.deaths/index.html.