Originally Posted by fonzz41
The deep breaths aren't working. Sorry everyone that's had to sit through my rants about the 3-feet-from-the-boards hits, but I'm about to give another one. I also apologize that this might get a little heavy. I rarely talk about the story I'm about to tell, but hell, many of us have been chatting in here for what, 6 years now? This is a pretty cool place.
Playing hockey in high school, I broke a kid's neck. I remember very little of the actual occurrence, I remember going for the puck, I remember focusing on the puck, and I remember an opponent next to me who I kind of shoved as we both went into the corner. Turns out my shove was in his numbers - something I had been taught all my life to never do - and you can imagine the rest. While I can't remember much else, the image of him lying awkwardly, face down on the ice, is seared into my brain forever.
I was (and remain) a very physical player, but I wasn't dirty. I never was out to intentionally hurt someone. I was captain of my team, respectful... Hell, by now you guys know the type of person I am. But regardless, there was a kid lying there with a broken neck. And it was because of me. I was reckless, even for a split second, and the consequences were unimaginable.
The ending of the story is partially happy. After months of therapy, the kid was able to walk again and even gained full control of most of his faculties. He now leads a reasonably normal life. But there's still physical limitations. He leads a fairly normal life, miraculously, but it's not as normal as it could have been had I not done that. We've talked (well, he talked, I bawled like a baby), and he often says that in the end I've put MYSELF through more suffering than he went through. But that's bullshit... I broke his neck. As kind and forgiving as he's been - and as remorseful as I feel - it doesn't change that fact.
Hockey-wise, I was suspended the rest of the season. I accepted that without appeal. It was my junior year, and there were some that moved to have me suspended for the rest of my high school career. In the end, I think only the interference of the kid and his parents on MY behalf, advocating for me despite what I had done, were what kept me there. And guys, I'll tell ya, I wasn't even sure I wanted to play anymore after that. I mean, I broke a kid's neck.
When it comes to these types of hits, intent doesn't matter. Life does. The NHL seems to have cultivated a mentality of "it's not so bad if they don't get hurt." In the heat of a game, when split second decisions are made (like mine), a soft approach like that doesn't work. Orlov got up from his hit, but who won't some day? Is that when action will be taken, after someone is paralyzed for the rest of their life? It's easily the most dangerous type of hit in hockey, and pro-active action needs to be taken now to ensure it doesn't happen. Education is a factor; but I'm a product of USA hockey and can attest that it's already taught at ALL levels of the game. NHL players know how to hit and how not to hit. In my mind, suspensions are a valuable tool. And while I'd feel bad for a good guy like Bellamare to have to sit 10 games or whatever to send a message, I think in the end it's for the good of the game.
So if it seems like I take a hard-line approach to this type of stuff and I'm over the top with wanting 10 and 20 game suspensions, that's why. I broke a kid's neck, and I think about it every single day still. The consequences are there not just for the victim, but for the hitter too (not that they - me - deserve an equal amount of pity as the victim) and I won't shut up about getting that out of my game.
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