TTP | A Cold, Hard Profession of Pain
Enforcers -
December 7th, 2011
Whether or not you’re a hockey fan, you know the guy. He’s the towering ruffian whose battered mug is a patchwork of pride, punishment and professionalism. He’s the brute on blades there to protect the nimble netters with the hundred dollar haircuts and celebrity girlfriends.
He has about as much business with a hockey stick as Rosie O’Donnell does a condom, but his mangled fists make up for his lack of puck prowess. He’s known as the enforcer, the goon, or in this case "The Boogeyman," an NHL tough guy who died at the young age of 28 earlier this year.
If you read no other links we post in these stories, be sure to read these today. A breathtaking bit of journalism in the NY Times about Derek Boogaard, an unlikely broken bruiser who patrolled the ice with his gnarled hands and loved the game with all his heart.
[Join the conversation about ... Enforcers.]
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52.4%
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Chance of seeing a fight at an NHL game during the 2010-2011 season, in which there were 1,230 games and 645 altercations. |
That’s so when I forget my name, I can still find my f*cking clothes.
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Stu Grimson, former legendary NHL enforcer, explaining to a reporter why he kept a picture of himself above his locker
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chronic traumatic encephalopathy
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noun. a.k.a. CTE, dementia pugilistica — a degenerative brain disease caused by repeated head trauma i.e. concussions.
CTE cannot be diagnosed in living patients, but only when the brain is studied after death. Derek Boogaard had an advanced case of CTE, which would have led to severe middle-aged dementia.
In 2007, Derek Boogaard and his younger brother, Aaron, held a controversial one day “fight camp” for hockey players between the ages of 12-18 to learn how to properly scrap on the ice. The camp t-shirts featured fake splotches of blood on them.
The Code
| Fights occur to intimidate, retaliate, motivate, rejuvenate or protect. |
| Normally take place between two “known” enforcers. |
| Enforcers must agree to fight one another; injured enforcers can take an “honorable” pass. |
| Sticks must be dropped, gloves shaken off and then the two square up. |
| Fight stops once someone is down on the ice or is clearly getting the better of the other. |
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Whether or not to allow fighting in the NHL has been debated for years. Some feel it’s a part of the game, while others feel it is pointless brutality. Us? We’re happy we grew up playing tennis. Move over, Slap Shot, a new hockey movie will be scoring in theaters soon. |
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