First off let me explain that the material in this article was taken from Hockey Player Magazine. The article is meant to prepare a player who is confronted with a fighting situation, and is geared towards younger hockey players, meaning college level and below. Please read the article to get a sense of awareness on what to do in a fight, or for just entertainment. Write me an email with your own hockey fighting tips. Okay...There are 7 suggestions given to you:
Stay on your feet and challenge The first thing you might say is, "I don't want to get thrown out of the game." But "challenging" doesn't necessarily mean "fighting" with your opponent. If you are in a fight, you will get kicked out, unless you go on your hands and knees and turtle, which is even more dangerous than fighting because who knows what the guy on top is going to do. During the NHL's regular season Red Wings-Avalanche fight-feast, Claude Lemieux turtled only to find his head smashed against the board and in need of stitches. You have to stay on your feet. And if you stand, you will get tossed out of the game. So make the best of it and be prepared.
Be in good condition
This may seem like a gimme, but the most tiring 30 seconds you will ever spend in any sport is hockey fighting. The mixture of trying to avoid punches, landing punches and keeping your balance on a 1/8 inch blade of steel (or wheels) will get you tired.You may think, "It's okay, the referee will break up an amateur fight very quickly." But the one thing you have to worry about is whether a brawl starts all around you, which happens in both adult and youth leagues.If that happens, the referees are outnumbered and your fight will last as long as you and your opponent want it to. If he or she is in better physical shape than you, your head may quickly become a punching bag.
Have a tight-fitting helmet
Make sure your helmet fits snug and use all the straps for the cage or visor. This should be elementary, but a lot of players like to just pop their hockey hat on and go. If your helmet is too loose, or if you are not using all of the cage and chin straps, two things can happen. One, the helmet could fly off, leaving your head unprotected. Two, the helmet can get jousted around and impede your vision. It is very difficult to defend yourself when a cage is flying up in front of your face. Keep all the straps on tight to avoid this situation.
Don't drop both your gloves
There is nothing stupider than seeing a player drop the gloves before fighting a guy wearing a cage. That guy is a couch potato who watches too much TV. Amateur fighting is a different beast than its NHL counterpart because of the cages and visors players are required to wear. There is no squaring off, no shadow boxing. Amateur fights are like rugby scrums-- confusing and exhausting.If your helmet comes off and you want to level the playing fields, use a trick they utilize in Canadian junior hockey. Drop one of your gloves to hold to your opponent's jersey for leverage, and use your gloved hand to hit your opponent and try to knock his helmet off. If he read this story and followed it, you won't be able to, because his helmet and straps are in place. But if he isn't a loyal reader of Hockey Player (or APO) you should be able to jar the helmet loose.After that, the playing field is level again and you can decide whether to drop your other glove and fight like the pros, or give him a good taste of leather.Another thing, don't ever take your own helmet off to try to show your bravery before a fight. If you are a young player, you probably have fought on skates before and all it takes is one solid punch from that overgrown 200-pound bantam player who is already shaving to break your cheekbone.
Use basic fighting mechanics
Don't keep your feet parallel. Pick a side and stick with it. Lead with the right or left, and don't face your opponent head on.
Practice your balance
After practice, ask your coach if you can work on a balance drill. He may not think its a good idea and tell you to get off the rink, but if you have a few minutes while the Zamboni is getting warmed up, grab a buddy (be sure to tell him what you are doing first, your both teammates, eh?) and through pushing and pulling, try to knock the other of his/her feet.This is 10-year enforcer and current Islander Mick Vukota's favorite fighting drill. Go in 30-second intervals and try as hard as you can to knock the other player over without punching him. Make sure to keep your knees slightly bent and don't take your eyes off your opponent. This is a great balance drill in general. Don't let go of your stick until your opponent does When Vukota was in the minors, coach Gord Lane, a Stanley Cup-winning defenseman with the New York Islanders, told him during practice he was getting too cocky. "He told me he wanted to fight me," Vukota recalled. Obviously, Mick didn't want to fight his coach, so he refused. But Lane was persistent, and kept physically punching Vukota as his teammates circled around them.Vukota finally had enough and dropped his stick and gloves. While Vukota stood there expecting a punch, his coach took his stick and jabbed it right through Vukota's stomach and skated off the ice. This lesson stayed with Mick throughout his entire hockey career: Never drop your stick and gloves before your opponent. This is one lesson that can translate from the pros to the amateurs.If you happen to see the lumber coming down on you, try to either move out of the way or block it with your stick. Some players, even NHL players like Islanders defenseman Rich Pilon on Mario Lemieux this past year, just snap, and you have to be wary of this possibility whenever someone is upset at you on the ice.If you saw the Pilon episode, Lemieux actually blocks a chop from Pilon aimed for his head. Rent the Empire Strikes Back to prepare for this once-in-a-lifetime occurrence.
Leave it on the ice
Finally, leave it on the ice. Don't continue your scrum in the hallway, or parking lot, or by the soda machine. Hockey fights are hockey fights, it's nothing personal. There are no guns, no knives on the ice, its just two players blowing off steam in the heat of the battle. It's one player defending his teammates and another defending himself.In the end, while your gasping for air after ice dancing for 30 seconds, compliment your opponent on a good effort, and go home and tell all your friends how you leveled the guy.
