To start, in the spirit of full disclosure, I admit to not being a fan of the NHL. I don’t watch it, nor do I have any interest in the outcome of any series.

This seems to put me in the minority. Tell someone you don’t watch hockey in this country, and they look at you like you just admitted to committing a terrible crime, or that you need to get professional help. “You call yourself a Canadian?”  Yes, I do, and a proud Canadian at that.

The NHL experience turned sour for me many years ago. Incidents of purposeful harm towards other players (i.e. McSorley  and Burtuzzi) seemed to be on the rise. Body checking seemed to become head hunting, and the referees did not seem to be allowed to call all the stick work that was going on.

Last year’s hockey playoffs was quite the experience for students. My school was abuzz with excitement, and even the Kindergarten students were caught up in the fever. When I gave them choice for gym time, hockey was almost always preferred. I had to be the Boston Bruins, and they were all Canucks. Funny, Boston never won those games.

What I noticed last year on the playground was a rise in aggression among the students. Hockey fever seemed to translate into poor playground choices for many students, and incidents of hitting or kicking always seemed to be explained by, “He hit me first!”

Is it fair to connect the playoffs with the playground behaviour? I think so. The NHL is not to blame for it all, but I think our cultures obsession with hockey has to be somewhat connected to aggression in children. Some children who were having social difficulties reported staying up late to watch hockey. Once the playoffs were over, we saw a reduction in incidents of playground aggression.

We try to teach students that acts of physical aggression are not acceptable at school. Staff members work with students on using calm, respectful conflict resolution skills. It can be challenging when students think it is alright to punch someone who may have bumped them. It is frustrating when dealing with a student who believes it is acceptable to knock someone down in soccer because the other person scored. Their role models do it, so why can’t they?

I know that there are many people who will say that I am focusing on the negative, and should not forget some of the beauty of hockey. I still like hockey, when it is played in a respectful, skillful manner. I am sure that there are incredible players, whose skills would leave me in awe if I watched.

Unfortunately, what I see when I am in a restaurant that uses television sets as decor, is a game that still includes head shots and fights (at least on fight happening before the puck dropped). As an aside, are televisions taking over the world? They seem to be in restaurants, grocery stores, coffee shops and even barber shops. You can’t get away from them, even if you don’t own one.

People I talk with say that the NHL is working on improving the product. They suspend players and fine them, and repeat offenders get greater consequences.

Maybe it is improving. You’ll have to let me know. I will be reading a book, playing guitar, or going for a walk during game times.

If you are a Canuck’s fan, good luck. Stay positive. Win or lose, I hope you can enjoy all the games.

Take care.