Toronto Maple Leafs: Brendan Shanahan’s Words of Wisdom

The Toronto Maple Leafs President Brendan Shanahan made some interesting comments this week.

Appearing on a podcast with noted Toronto Maple Leafs fan and all around legend (for his performance in the classic Arrested Devcelopment) Will Arnett,  Shanahan made some interesting comments about the role of physicality in hockey.

While I’m paraphrasing, Shanahan told the hosts of the podcast that he would like to see hockey with less big hits and fights, and more goals.  That he doesn’t want to necessarily see the game played like he played it during his career.  Statements that seemed born out of a legitimate concern for the safety of others, something hockey just isn’t known for.

Essentially, what Shanahan said matches up exactly with the team he helped to build.

Shanahan’s Comments

For those of us who enjoy sports, but despise the macho, tough-guy posturing that comes with the territory,  Shanahan’s words were refreshing.

The physical part of hockey is enjoyable, but the fact that it is somehow controversial to say you’d rather see a goal than a hit is pretty insane, and does more to illustrate the problems Shanahan’s comments are based on than I could ever do with a written explanation.

Brendan Shanahan knows what he’s talking about. He played the style of game – 40 goal power forward who fights – that no one on his team plays.  That isn’t an accident.  For starters, those players are much more rare these days, and secondly, Shanahan knows the cost of playing like that.

For the same reason parents who had it rough as children want it better for their kids, Shanahan wants a safe environment for his players.  The fact that he stands out so much for it doesn’t exactly reflect well on the NHL, hockey, its fans or media.

Hockey is a dangerous game and given the evidence we have regarding the cost of fighting, it’s incomprehensible that it is still allowed.  The NHL should not only ban fighting, but it should have done so twenty years ago.

What Shanahan said shouldn’t be news, and it shouldn’t be controversial.  It should be what every person in a position of power in hockey thinks and says.  It is on all of us who enjoy this game to help make it safer.

We can still enjoy a big hit, just not one that sends the hitee to the hospital and likely impacts the rest of his life.  The cost of those hits is too high, and I’m just guessing here, but I’d say its more than likely that Shanahan is dealing with this cost (to himself, and to his psyche for knowing what he did to people) every day.

So in my opinion, if you’re upset about what Shanahan said, hockey is the wrong sport for you. It shouldn’t be upsetting that a major figure in the sport you love wants to make it safer for people.

Brendan Shanahan, in my opinion, just went from excellent President of my favorite hockey team to excellent human and virtuous example of what everyone in my favorite sport should strive to be.