Jiri Fischer
OMG one of the scariest moments I've ever experienced watching / listening to sports. I've taken to listening to the Red Wings on the radio, and I got home a bit late last night. Only moments before I tuned in, apparently, Jiri Fischer was taken to the hospital after having a seizure on the bench. Thank goodness he's okay, though I still anxiously await the press conference this afternoon.
What struck me, though, was the fact that they postponed the game. And it seemed to be the idea of the opposing team. Who was winning 1-0 and would clearly have a mental advantage if the game were to continue. I seem to recall Dale Earnhardt died during the Daytona 500 (or was it Indy? I'm not into auto racing. Sorry, Dad.) and they finished the race. I remember (uh, oh, I call myself a football fan...) a Green Bay Packer being taken from the field paralyzed and they finished that game.
Is it only in hockey where there is enough mutual respect and brotherhood for the other team to be willing to set aside an easy victory out of concern for a fallen comrade? Hockey gets such a bad rap for all of the fights, retaliation, and bloodshed, but I can't imagine another professional sport actually cancelling a game because of an incident like this.
I pause, though, as I write this, and recall one of the most widely viewed injuries in hockey, the so-called "Todd Bertuzzi Incident" when Steve Moore was knocked unconscious and taken from the ice with a fractured vertebra. As I recall it, they finished that game.
Is this a new, kinder NHL? Has the new collective bargaining agreement created a sense of unity that was not there with no salary cap? Has the lack of a season last year given the players a newfound respect for their sport and for one another?
It's hard for me to opine to the extent I would like because I live in a city that lacks an NHL franchise, so I don't hear about players who hold out and don't show up for training camps. I'm sure there are some. But I would think having a salary cap creates a sense that they are all pieces of a puzzle, that everyone has to fit in and keep balance in what used to be a free for all negotiate the best for me go ahead a buy a Stanley Cup atmosphere.
Regardless of the reason, I am glad they postponed the game. It showed respect in a way I have not seen before in men's professional sports. I'd like to see other sports take a lesson from this. No matter who wins or loses, after all, it is only game, and beneath all of the padding and protective gear, athletes are just human beings who deserve the respect and concern shown to Jiri Fischer last night in Detroit.
What struck me, though, was the fact that they postponed the game. And it seemed to be the idea of the opposing team. Who was winning 1-0 and would clearly have a mental advantage if the game were to continue. I seem to recall Dale Earnhardt died during the Daytona 500 (or was it Indy? I'm not into auto racing. Sorry, Dad.) and they finished the race. I remember (uh, oh, I call myself a football fan...) a Green Bay Packer being taken from the field paralyzed and they finished that game.
Is it only in hockey where there is enough mutual respect and brotherhood for the other team to be willing to set aside an easy victory out of concern for a fallen comrade? Hockey gets such a bad rap for all of the fights, retaliation, and bloodshed, but I can't imagine another professional sport actually cancelling a game because of an incident like this.
I pause, though, as I write this, and recall one of the most widely viewed injuries in hockey, the so-called "Todd Bertuzzi Incident" when Steve Moore was knocked unconscious and taken from the ice with a fractured vertebra. As I recall it, they finished that game.
Is this a new, kinder NHL? Has the new collective bargaining agreement created a sense of unity that was not there with no salary cap? Has the lack of a season last year given the players a newfound respect for their sport and for one another?
It's hard for me to opine to the extent I would like because I live in a city that lacks an NHL franchise, so I don't hear about players who hold out and don't show up for training camps. I'm sure there are some. But I would think having a salary cap creates a sense that they are all pieces of a puzzle, that everyone has to fit in and keep balance in what used to be a free for all negotiate the best for me go ahead a buy a Stanley Cup atmosphere.
Regardless of the reason, I am glad they postponed the game. It showed respect in a way I have not seen before in men's professional sports. I'd like to see other sports take a lesson from this. No matter who wins or loses, after all, it is only game, and beneath all of the padding and protective gear, athletes are just human beings who deserve the respect and concern shown to Jiri Fischer last night in Detroit.
posted by Becca @ 6:40 AM
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