JEFF CAPLAN'S MY MINUTE OF NEWS
Jeff Caplan’s Minute of News: It’s Hockey Season!
Oct 8, 2024, 9:00 PM
The Utah Hockey Club acknowledges the fans after the win as they open their inaugural season with a win against the Los Angeles Kings in the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Sept. 23, 2024. Utah won 3-2 in overtime. (Scott G. WInterton/Deseret News)
(Scott G. WInterton/Deseret News)
Editor’s note: This is an editorial piece. An editorial, like a news article, is based on fact but also shares opinions. The opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and are not associated with our newsroom.
SALT LAKE CITY — In baseball, when there’s a bench-clearing brawl, a player cocks his fist and waits for their teammates to pull him away before any punches get thrown. You don’t want to damage a 100-million-dollar body. So they make-believe they’re going to fight. In football and basketball, you throw a punch and you’re ejected out of the game.
And then there’s hockey.
For the announcers, a fistfight is just another day at the office. A couple of big burly guys wail at each other in a bare-knuckle quest for blood. And as far as fans are concerned, blood is good. If a tooth goes flying, that’s even better. But why?
“Make no mistake, when there’s a hockey fight, no one leaves their seats… it’s the most exciting 30 to 60 seconds in sports, it’s two gladiators.”
That’s hockey historian Ross Bernstein, talking with Business Insider. He points out that during a fight, the refs just sort of stand around.
“The game has always been allowed to police itself,” Bernstein explained. “So you do something bad, you pay a consequence, you hit a guy from behind, you’re going to lose some teeth.”
It’s a sport that believes in vigilante justice, as we saw that time Mazza dropped his gloves and started flailing his fists at his opponent.
Mazza is six years old, playing pee wee hockey and fighting just like the big boys. Until his mom tells him to knock it off — something hockey refs won’t do.
So until they give rinkside seats to the players’ mommies, you’re gonna see a lot of fistfights this fall. So grab your popcorn, and if you’re at the Delta Center, even better. It only costs $3.
And what makes it even better is 3-dollar popcorn.
Jeff Caplan is the host of Jeff Caplan’s Afternoon News on KSL NewsRadio. Follow him on Facebook and X.
