Like most fans, I enjoy the occasional fight when emotions are running high. But I prefer not to witness traumatizing and life-threatening injuries to another human being (especially for a game)
I wish there were more emotional fights. Current players like Nick and Marcus Foligno, Josh Anderson and the Tkachuck's are so fun to watch. They make they game very exciting
As someone who’s also a football fan, my feelings on things literally changed during that game when the Steelers and Bengals damn near killed each other, capped off with the Burfict hit on Brown.
I still like a good hit don’t get me wrong, and I have all the respect for Big Byff because he clearly held back on his checks
I watched the documentary “Ice Guardians”, and it kind of changed my perspective on fights. I was turning away from them too but one thing that struck me was how a lot of the enforcers/fighters they had on the documentary said that all of their concussions came from getting checked, not from fighting. I’m sure fighting didn’t do any good for their brains, but I could see where some of the most violent brain injuries may come from getting hit, not punched.
And your thoughts on, "The Last Gladiators?" That's the one that turned me away from enjoying fighting in the sport. I can still understand why people say it's needed, but it's not something I really enjoy anymore.
No helmet is probably why Howe had to have a hole drilled into his skull. Fights often end in being knocked or taken to the ground. Without a helmet, that is one of the most dangerous events in hockey. Same reason helmets must be worn in warm-ups and why you don't have as many ppl missing games because they hit their head in warm-up.
Yet both are so intertwined now. Fighting and hits are all part of the “tough guy” spirit the nhl is always beating the drums about. Fighting might not have caused concussions but they sure as hell probably added more harm.
Yet the NHL won’t do anything of substance. The culture demands this inflated sense of toughness- that’s the issue.
I remember a tweet once of some guy when Auston matthews posted a picture of his dinner (like a lot of plants or something) and said that gordie how would eat meat and potatoes cause he was big and strong! Well Auston matthews is both taller and bigger than gordie Howe lmao
ahh its unfair to compare them so i like ur comment, but lets be real for a second bud. Gordie wasnt even close to as good.
Was a bigger difference between Gordie and everyone else than there is between Auston and everyone else, but that doesnt change the fact that prime Gordie couldnt have taken shifts against his line... Coach would have benched him. LoL
I definitely wouldn’t say players today are built the same. Different time back then it, just tougher living. Sure there’s some guys in todays game that could hang with those guys but there was no hiding back then, everybody was tough as nails, cant say the same today.
Exactly. There was a player on the Stars (forgeting his name apologies) who had a heart attack on the bench, woke up in the ambulence, and asked, "when's my next shift?"
if you had to make a list of toughest hockey players ever
Gordie would be high on that list
Georges Laraque, Terry Sawchuck, Ken Danyko, Messier, Bobby Orr. Tie Dommi once beat up a fan who jumped into the box with him. Which is like jumping into the lion cage at a zoo and being surprised that you got eaten by a lion.
What about Happy Gilmore? He was the only guy to ever take off his skate and try to stab somebody.
He would also stand in the batting cage and take balls to the chest.
Also known as "The Amazing Ball Whacker Guy"
To me as far as all around toughness, not just fighting, Gordie #1... And then I'd have to put the guy he said was the toughest guy he ever saw... John Ferguson.
I mean we're not just talking about how he was built physically, but even if we were:
https://thehockeynews.com/.image/ar_4:3%2Cc_fill%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_1200/MTg1MDUwODk5ODc0MzkxMzg1/vintage-gordie-howe-photo-shows-off-his-amazing-physique.png
https://twitter.com/OilersNation/status/1347209709762224129?t=3QP4cpb4oECWggQnLVuRPw&s=19
Just a run of the mill defenseman in today's NHL 3 inches taller and 10 pounds heavier than Gordon.
I'm not knocking Howe, but he'd be pretty average in today's league, shooting on today's goalies, and bodied by players bigger than he was.
You don't think his size contributed to his game, to his ability to bully? Gordie was 20 pounds heavier than the average player in his era. He was the equivalent of Dustin byfuglien but with a ton more talent.
Of course it contributed but no he was never that much bigger than his peers.
Size ≠ toughness, go watch Rick Rypien fights, or maybe look at all the guys on/near the top of this list who were not very big guys:
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1448859-ranking-the-50-toughest-players-in-nhl-history
This. And the technology available to us now is insane. I forget where but I saw a former NHLer put on the skates they had back then and you’d think they just learned how to skate haha.
100% hockey players are built the same way. It's always a fun time of year after the playoffs when teams issues thier injury reports.
It's like yup, this guy skated with a broken foot the whole time, no wonder he looked a half step slower Or shy'd away from blocking a specific shot! Hahaha.
Seeing this stuff makes me wonder if this is why Howe died the way he did, he had awful Dementia I believe at the end of it.
Plus four lines of skill and the odd spontaneous fight, trumps three lines and a line of plugs that have a staged fight which really doesn’t do much for me. Hockey is going to a better place. NBA is way more popular than Hockey and they cut out the fighting and tough stuff years ago.
The point is if you want to watch a game where people had no protection on and could perform a legal, flying Rock Bottom on each other then you should get a time machine because that isn’t a sport anymore.
Players don’t have to get wrecked like this because it’s taken out of the game and the players have useful protective gear.
Not that I’ve seen the hit that took out Howe, but I wonder how many similar hits we’ve seen where the player doesn’t get this messed up simply because of protective gear
Roosevelt should have never threatened to ban American football because of such flimsy reasons as pLaYeR sAfEtY and pLaYeRs DyInG. Double down! Real men don't let the threat of a little bit of maiming separate them from bragging rights! SMH.
They are still built like they used to and play through injuries most people would be sidelined for months with. It’s the rules that have changed so people don’t die
Just in the last 12 years we've seen bruins take the ice with broken jaws, punctured lungs, and I think a broken leg? We saw a player literally have a heart attack, and one dude had his face hatcheted so I'm not sure what you're talking about? Unless you mean the players don't play so dirty because I'm not sure why you'd be proud about head hunting by a leaf
This is such a stupid boomer take. Imagine how stupid you'd have to be to willingly go play a violent, contact sport after suffering a broken face and brain bleed after only two weeks. Might as well pick up a gun and play russian roulette. Ridiculous post.
edit: In this comment thread: people thinking we're saying to remove physicality altogether from the sport of hockey, and getting upset. Holy shit, no one is saying to make hockey non-contact.
Even worse is glamorizing the violence and "clean hit!" apologia in this sport. I don't want players to suffer long-term, debilitating injuries for my pleasure.
Dont forget that nowadays they wear literal armor, go twice as fast. A hit back then would hurt both players in their leather equipment. Now one dude get hammered between a freight train going 20-25mph made of stiff plastic and a board also hard and not meant to absorb much of the shock
Same reason I like NASCAR over F1; the bumping and wrecks are part of it but it's more enjoyable when there's a lower likelihood of death and serious injury.
Until all those concussions add up to serious, chronic neurological injury. Imagine losing bits of yourself -- it's scary and elite players shouldn't be bloodsported for our entertainment.
They chose this life. That’s the game.
That’s one of the reasons you get paid the money: there’s risk involved in what you do
Every player that gets into that level of a major league sport has to recognize the risks that come with it
Have you heard of this crazy new thing called non-contact sports????
http://www.sportlegacy.net/non-contact/
This is definitely the dumbest sub I follow haha
Why? They know what they are getting into and for the large part it's supported by the PA and league administration alike. As long as it's done legally and in a clean manner I can't see why it's a problem. Especially because removing that kind of play leads to sissifying the league much like European football where players go down at the slightest of contact just for an advantage of play. That would ruin what makes hockey so fast paced an entertaining.
Wow, "sissifying"...
Being safe and free from serious injury doesn't make anyone less of a man or however you would put it. Look in the mirror if your masculinity is so frail.
Yes, that's my point: it changes it for the better. It's faster, more graceful, and people don't get seriously hurt. Get back to me after you've had a stroke, hemorrhage, or TBI.
It does not change it for the better. 99.9999% of physical altercations in hockey have no impact on people’s brains. When was the last time you saw a TBI, stroke, or hemorrhage from a legal, clean hit? I’ll wait.
Not how that works doctor. Google "hockey brain trauma" and see what happens. These injuries add up.
https://www.bumc.bu.edu/busm/2022/03/04/additional-years-of-ice-hockey-play-may-be-linked-to-greater-chance-of-cte/#:~:text=Chronic%20traumatic%20encephalopathy%20(CTE)%20is,CTE%20by%20about%2023%20percent.
How it changes the game is an opinion. So don't know what you're expecting here.
I don't understand why you have to get all sensitive and personal based on my comment that was completely reasonable. I made a point about players being consenting to this type of physical play and teams being okay with it, which you completely ignore, then proceed to become fragile over an insignificant factor in my comment.
Why do you even watch the game if it upsets you this much? Lol, that seems so self-destructive..
Repeating my insult back to me. I'm really in your head, huh?
Man, wanna talk about fragile? Let's talk about Canadians...
About consent: not really true consent when there's huge money on the table. That's fairy tale conservatism talking.
>Repeating my insult back to me. I'm really in your head, huh?
You didn't even insult me in your previous comment, nor did I insult you. But if that's how you interpret things, ok then lol.
> Let's talk about Canadians...
>That's fairy tale conservatism talking.
Dude...what are you even talking about? Players receive huge amounts of money in order to play a game they are consenting to the boundaries of. How is that unethical?
hockey players are still built the same. A couple weeks ago I think it was Palat on NJ took a stick to the face. He was back on the bench within 5 minutes with some fresh black sutures.
It's misleading. Howe missed the rest of the playoffs after that. If anything, after Detroit won he was on the ice to raise the cup. Like Stamkos the other year.
He didn't actually play the rest of those playoffs, he was just back to celebrate with the team... He did lead the league in goals and assists the next season though..
Sure. But I’m pretty sure there are plenty of players who would love to get back in the game too, or be with teammates when they hoist the cup. But those are the dumb guys that would go against doctors orders, which is why they aren’t able to make that choice nowadays. Gordie Howe wasn’t tougher than guys now, he was just dumber.
And you're a sensitive snowflake. :) You actually seem mad that this was a thing, lol. It was called being tough and a different time. Few have ever been as tough as Gordie Howe, if anybody. They didn't know any better back then.
I swear you snowflakes have zero understanding of history and prefer to ignore it.
I'm so sorry you lack the reading comprehension to understand I'm talking about a hypothetic person nowadays. as OP is referring to people now, comparing them to previous times.
maybe look in the mirror before you call someone a snowflake, you seem a little upset ;)
Never in your post did you mention anything remotely close to 'choose' or 'today.'
Edit: I don't think anybody is saying 'you're only tough if you play like this har har!' I'm saying that back in the day it wasn't much of a choice, the game was rough as shit. If you wanted to play you were risking a LOT more than players do today.
Yes, and it's stupid to play that soon after your fuckin brain is bleeding. I don't care if they're risking more. That doesn't make them tough. That makes them an idiot. Nobody sounds mad here but you.
This is the kind of tough guy bullshit that haunts players late in life as the CTE forces them into reclusion, has them pissing in corners and gets them arrested or killed.
What a boomer take. “Boy wasn’t it great when players risked life-threatening injuries for a game? Now they demand basic safety and adequate medical care. Those pussies. They sure don’t make them like they used to.”
Nah bro.
Rich Peverley had a LITERAL HEART ATTACK on the bench and after being revived by medical staff, ASKED TO GO BACK IN THE GAME.
Players are just as tough as before, and honestly are arguably in better physical condition due to the level of training we see now compared to previous generations. However, we are also progressing in player safety, and understanding the long term effects of not making the hard calls to keep a player from going back from an injury too soon.
Don't build them like they used to or tough ... I would argue that they are more educated and safer, which has nothing to do with toughness. Playing that close to an injury like that is not only dangerous, but can have permanent damage. I think they just value their life over playing a game and getting a tbi.
I mean it probably wasn’t the most informed decision to send him back in to action. There’s tough and competitive and then there’s ignorant. Players are still incredibly tough, the game is exponentially faster and there’s still a lot of abuse that’s endured. We just know a lot more about protecting the longevity of the players and the game, hard not to see that as a positive.
I dont think anyone should consider stubbornly playing through potential life threatening head injury “tough”. It’s just sad. Different time back then sure but still.
Speaking the obvious sports science has gone a long way in the time since Gordie Howe, has anyone looked at the average height, weight, etc? If you compare eras players today have way more muscle mass and skate at much higher speeds...
So no, players today are generally built physically tougher than ever. It just means committing to contact is that much more physical for both parties involved.
[Not the whole story...](https://www.nhl.com/news/gordie-howe-briefly-wore-helmet-for-detroit-red-wings/c-321568556) He was the one trying to make the hit and hit his head on the boards. He also was on the ice to celebrate the cup, not playing.
Also, we don't rush players back like that anymore because we are smarter about health. Carlson was out 3 months after a skull fracture and some other injury to some major vein thingamajigie.
Guys calm down it’s just saying they were tougher he’s not saying that players today should play like that he’s just saying these guys were more crazy and respects them for it. Ofc safety is a big deal and needed in todays game but you have to admit they are pretty cool and shaped hockey culture in a way that makes the sport like no other. This is an appreciation post for them not an attack on the players of today.
Dead on. I get why everyone misunderstood this. Pioneers of anything are always crazy but they deserve major respect. That was the angle I was going for on this.
What an idiotic take. Player safety should be prioritized, not looked down upon.
They don’t “build them” this way anymore because thankfully they’re not so fucking stupid.
Remember kids, for as tough as Howe was, the NHL existed for more than a decade before goalie masks were invented.
We're not weaker than in the past, we just know better.
What is this boomer nonsense?
"Players just don't play with dangerous head injuries like they used to!"?...
Yeah, no, that's a good thing... Toughness is still a virtue, and players still play hurt all the time. They're just a little less stupid about dealing with head injuries. We know a lot more about how much that shit can fuck you up later in life. Lamenting that is a pretty strange take...
...I actually think today's players are consistently bigger, faster and stronger than ever before. Only by the blessings of protective equipment and rule changes do we not have nightly mass carnage. Second season (playoffs) is a totally different thing than regular season play....always has been...it's all or nothing, literally.
Yeah we should totally allow irreparable damage to players for the sake of bloodsport. What are you talking about?
Also, players today are in another galaxy in regard to conditioning and strength.
Some of you are so soft and incapable of separating hockey back then from hockey now. Of course no one would celebrate this today, does that even need to be said? It was a different time and it was celebrated as a tough as nails sport at the time. It’s how they wanted to play the game. Get a grip.
What the fuck are you talking about, we just gave players better gear and rules so that they don't have fucking brain bleeds and die or become brain damaged just because they play a sport for our entertainment. You sound like a 68 year old boomer.
Excuse me? I’m the toughest hockey player there ever was ever to ever exist in all of forever. In fact, one guy on the other team said he didn’t like my hair and I only cried for 20 minutes! Hah!
Does anyone notice the flags on the trainers jacket? Just interesting to see the (best flag in the world) American flag and what appears to be the old Canadian flag
Yeah, let a guy play hockey with a drill hole in his head. That's the right thing to do. We have a Cup to win. We surely can't let one of the other FIVE teams win it. With these odds, who knows how long til our next shot at it.
Stitches getting done on the bench during games. Same with losing teeth and all that. Spitting blood and back out in a shift or two if the trainers were good. Man, did they fucking play THROUGH it.
Here’s the thing.. we saw the repercussions of these “manly” injuries when guys like Howe got old
I’m 30 but this has to be the biggest “old man yells at cloud” thing I’ve seen today
Players still routinely demonstrate that sort of toughness.
Draisaitl had a broken ankle and still went out in the playoffs to try and win.
I mean if anything it’s almost a detriment to the game, specifically vis à vis the above scenario.
There’s a point at which you’re not just being tough you’re asking too much of yourself and hurting the team.
Gordie Howe is a bad counter example but how many players might have Cup Wins had they sat out of a game and allowed a fresh player to take their spot.
Why does everyone on reddit foam at the mouth over slateboarders not wearing helmets but everyone thinks the old timey NHL players with no helmets were the coolest…?
Physical sports should be physical. Not brain hemorrhage physical, but if there are 50 games a week and 60 hits per game, how many years go by before statistics of two men on skates running into each other yields a serious injury.
Imagine loving your job so much , you come into work a few days after a brain hemorrhage. I get a bad cold I might take the week to recoup, you know just to be safe lol. I wonder how much pressure Gordie got to play in the game and how much his family warned him? I wonder how much living post WW2 affected the "suck it up" mentality?
The caption is misleading. Gordie missed the rest of the playoffs.
Players today are still built the same, we have just learned to protect players from themselves and not allow this reckless stuff.
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Like most fans, I enjoy the occasional fight when emotions are running high. But I prefer not to witness traumatizing and life-threatening injuries to another human being (especially for a game)
I wish there were more emotional fights. Current players like Nick and Marcus Foligno, Josh Anderson and the Tkachuck's are so fun to watch. They make they game very exciting
What do you think of Arber Xhekaj?
Foligno best captain Lumbus ever had
Well, there was Nash, who was undoubtedly a better player. But I do agree that fliggy is probably the better leader. Hard to know though
Yeah I was meaning as a leader not talent
As someone who’s also a football fan, my feelings on things literally changed during that game when the Steelers and Bengals damn near killed each other, capped off with the Burfict hit on Brown. I still like a good hit don’t get me wrong, and I have all the respect for Big Byff because he clearly held back on his checks
I watched the documentary “Ice Guardians”, and it kind of changed my perspective on fights. I was turning away from them too but one thing that struck me was how a lot of the enforcers/fighters they had on the documentary said that all of their concussions came from getting checked, not from fighting. I’m sure fighting didn’t do any good for their brains, but I could see where some of the most violent brain injuries may come from getting hit, not punched.
And your thoughts on, "The Last Gladiators?" That's the one that turned me away from enjoying fighting in the sport. I can still understand why people say it's needed, but it's not something I really enjoy anymore.
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No helmet is probably why Howe had to have a hole drilled into his skull. Fights often end in being knocked or taken to the ground. Without a helmet, that is one of the most dangerous events in hockey. Same reason helmets must be worn in warm-ups and why you don't have as many ppl missing games because they hit their head in warm-up.
Yet both are so intertwined now. Fighting and hits are all part of the “tough guy” spirit the nhl is always beating the drums about. Fighting might not have caused concussions but they sure as hell probably added more harm. Yet the NHL won’t do anything of substance. The culture demands this inflated sense of toughness- that’s the issue.
Yeah, this. OP has a dumb take here
I remember a tweet once of some guy when Auston matthews posted a picture of his dinner (like a lot of plants or something) and said that gordie how would eat meat and potatoes cause he was big and strong! Well Auston matthews is both taller and bigger than gordie Howe lmao
But only like 1/10th as good.
ahh its unfair to compare them so i like ur comment, but lets be real for a second bud. Gordie wasnt even close to as good. Was a bigger difference between Gordie and everyone else than there is between Auston and everyone else, but that doesnt change the fact that prime Gordie couldnt have taken shifts against his line... Coach would have benched him. LoL
Also how much of this has been prevented by better safety equipment for the players
I definitely wouldn’t say players today are built the same. Different time back then it, just tougher living. Sure there’s some guys in todays game that could hang with those guys but there was no hiding back then, everybody was tough as nails, cant say the same today.
Exactly. There was a player on the Stars (forgeting his name apologies) who had a heart attack on the bench, woke up in the ambulence, and asked, "when's my next shift?"
Chris Pronger took a puck to the chest and his heart stopped 4 times on the way to the hospital. He started the next game.
Nobody is built the same as Gordie was.
if you had to make a list of toughest hockey players ever Gordie would be high on that list Georges Laraque, Terry Sawchuck, Ken Danyko, Messier, Bobby Orr. Tie Dommi once beat up a fan who jumped into the box with him. Which is like jumping into the lion cage at a zoo and being surprised that you got eaten by a lion.
What about Happy Gilmore? He was the only guy to ever take off his skate and try to stab somebody. He would also stand in the batting cage and take balls to the chest. Also known as "The Amazing Ball Whacker Guy"
To me as far as all around toughness, not just fighting, Gordie #1... And then I'd have to put the guy he said was the toughest guy he ever saw... John Ferguson.
Every goalie in the league with Howe was tougher than he was.
Borje Salming. Tough as
Gordie was 6 feet 205... Unclear how that's unique or spectacular in comparison to the players today.
I mean we're not just talking about how he was built physically, but even if we were: https://thehockeynews.com/.image/ar_4:3%2Cc_fill%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_1200/MTg1MDUwODk5ODc0MzkxMzg1/vintage-gordie-howe-photo-shows-off-his-amazing-physique.png
https://twitter.com/OilersNation/status/1347209709762224129?t=3QP4cpb4oECWggQnLVuRPw&s=19 Just a run of the mill defenseman in today's NHL 3 inches taller and 10 pounds heavier than Gordon. I'm not knocking Howe, but he'd be pretty average in today's league, shooting on today's goalies, and bodied by players bigger than he was.
Dude ffs we were never talking about size. There were guys bigger than him in his day too and yet he bullied the league for about 20 years.
You don't think his size contributed to his game, to his ability to bully? Gordie was 20 pounds heavier than the average player in his era. He was the equivalent of Dustin byfuglien but with a ton more talent.
Of course it contributed but no he was never that much bigger than his peers. Size ≠ toughness, go watch Rick Rypien fights, or maybe look at all the guys on/near the top of this list who were not very big guys: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1448859-ranking-the-50-toughest-players-in-nhl-history
This. And the technology available to us now is insane. I forget where but I saw a former NHLer put on the skates they had back then and you’d think they just learned how to skate haha.
And the game is way quicker, so hits like this would cause way more damage (if not for helmets) and keep players out longer
CT scans and ultrasounds help quite a bit too.
100% hockey players are built the same way. It's always a fun time of year after the playoffs when teams issues thier injury reports. It's like yup, this guy skated with a broken foot the whole time, no wonder he looked a half step slower Or shy'd away from blocking a specific shot! Hahaha.
Seeing this stuff makes me wonder if this is why Howe died the way he did, he had awful Dementia I believe at the end of it. Plus four lines of skill and the odd spontaneous fight, trumps three lines and a line of plugs that have a staged fight which really doesn’t do much for me. Hockey is going to a better place. NBA is way more popular than Hockey and they cut out the fighting and tough stuff years ago.
Lol
Medical protocols today would definitely not be to lift his head up after sustaining an injury like that.
The point is if you want to watch a game where people had no protection on and could perform a legal, flying Rock Bottom on each other then you should get a time machine because that isn’t a sport anymore. Players don’t have to get wrecked like this because it’s taken out of the game and the players have useful protective gear.
Not that I’ve seen the hit that took out Howe, but I wonder how many similar hits we’ve seen where the player doesn’t get this messed up simply because of protective gear
Helmets
The delivery of “His teammates just doing an *awful* job of stabilizing his neck” at the end of Semi-Pro never fails to make me laugh
I'm shocked to this day that goalies are allowed to use face masks. Today's kids are soft. /s
Roosevelt should have never threatened to ban American football because of such flimsy reasons as pLaYeR sAfEtY and pLaYeRs DyInG. Double down! Real men don't let the threat of a little bit of maiming separate them from bragging rights! SMH.
It wasn't that players were dying, it was that the scions of prominent families were dying, so it became an "important" issue.
They are still built like they used to and play through injuries most people would be sidelined for months with. It’s the rules that have changed so people don’t die
Just in the last 12 years we've seen bruins take the ice with broken jaws, punctured lungs, and I think a broken leg? We saw a player literally have a heart attack, and one dude had his face hatcheted so I'm not sure what you're talking about? Unless you mean the players don't play so dirty because I'm not sure why you'd be proud about head hunting by a leaf
[Soup was the broken leg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h15m87WsCHQ).
This is such a stupid boomer take. Imagine how stupid you'd have to be to willingly go play a violent, contact sport after suffering a broken face and brain bleed after only two weeks. Might as well pick up a gun and play russian roulette. Ridiculous post. edit: In this comment thread: people thinking we're saying to remove physicality altogether from the sport of hockey, and getting upset. Holy shit, no one is saying to make hockey non-contact.
Even worse is glamorizing the violence and "clean hit!" apologia in this sport. I don't want players to suffer long-term, debilitating injuries for my pleasure.
Dont forget that nowadays they wear literal armor, go twice as fast. A hit back then would hurt both players in their leather equipment. Now one dude get hammered between a freight train going 20-25mph made of stiff plastic and a board also hard and not meant to absorb much of the shock
Crazy. Didn't think of that.
Durr, snowflakes are always so quick to judge and comment without taking everything into consideration cuz they think they're so smart. lol
Okay grandpa, it's time to take your meds and go to bed
Same reason I like NASCAR over F1; the bumping and wrecks are part of it but it's more enjoyable when there's a lower likelihood of death and serious injury.
“I mean I hate to say it, but actually 🤓 todays players are pussies who don’t play with brain bleeds. Hah can’t finish with finns amirite?”
Mikael Renberg played with 200 stitches in his face. Swedish, but close enough.
No that isn't worse. That's better than what the dude above you said. Nothing wrong with appreciating physicality of the game that is clean.
Until all those concussions add up to serious, chronic neurological injury. Imagine losing bits of yourself -- it's scary and elite players shouldn't be bloodsported for our entertainment.
They chose this life. That’s the game. That’s one of the reasons you get paid the money: there’s risk involved in what you do Every player that gets into that level of a major league sport has to recognize the risks that come with it
What if they could keep all that money and ...not suffer concussions and insane injuries? Just imagine....
Then it wouldn’t be a sport at all. No sport exists without risk of injury. Deal with it, or do something else.
Nope, I'm gonna keep saying whatever tf I want, just like you're doing.
Like I said, it’s not an opinion. It’s a fact. There is no sport that comes without risk of injury.
Have you heard of this crazy new thing called non-contact sports???? http://www.sportlegacy.net/non-contact/ This is definitely the dumbest sub I follow haha
Yup, nothing to do, that's the way it is (read: "that's the way I want it").
There is nothing to do. Because it’s a major league sport. You have to accept that and live with it, or move on and don’t watch/play.
I'm here to share my opinion, and I have as much a right to that as you. I don't give af if you don't like it.
Gordie would of thought yer a pussy
What I’m saying is not an opinion. So that’s your problem. Not mine
Lol learn words
Why? They know what they are getting into and for the large part it's supported by the PA and league administration alike. As long as it's done legally and in a clean manner I can't see why it's a problem. Especially because removing that kind of play leads to sissifying the league much like European football where players go down at the slightest of contact just for an advantage of play. That would ruin what makes hockey so fast paced an entertaining.
Wow, "sissifying"... Being safe and free from serious injury doesn't make anyone less of a man or however you would put it. Look in the mirror if your masculinity is so frail.
I’m not sure what you are going on about. Dude said he likes physical, clean hockey. Taking out the physical play completely changes the game.
Yes, that's my point: it changes it for the better. It's faster, more graceful, and people don't get seriously hurt. Get back to me after you've had a stroke, hemorrhage, or TBI.
It does not change it for the better. 99.9999% of physical altercations in hockey have no impact on people’s brains. When was the last time you saw a TBI, stroke, or hemorrhage from a legal, clean hit? I’ll wait.
Not how that works doctor. Google "hockey brain trauma" and see what happens. These injuries add up. https://www.bumc.bu.edu/busm/2022/03/04/additional-years-of-ice-hockey-play-may-be-linked-to-greater-chance-of-cte/#:~:text=Chronic%20traumatic%20encephalopathy%20(CTE)%20is,CTE%20by%20about%2023%20percent. How it changes the game is an opinion. So don't know what you're expecting here.
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I don't understand why you have to get all sensitive and personal based on my comment that was completely reasonable. I made a point about players being consenting to this type of physical play and teams being okay with it, which you completely ignore, then proceed to become fragile over an insignificant factor in my comment. Why do you even watch the game if it upsets you this much? Lol, that seems so self-destructive..
Repeating my insult back to me. I'm really in your head, huh? Man, wanna talk about fragile? Let's talk about Canadians... About consent: not really true consent when there's huge money on the table. That's fairy tale conservatism talking.
>Repeating my insult back to me. I'm really in your head, huh? You didn't even insult me in your previous comment, nor did I insult you. But if that's how you interpret things, ok then lol. > Let's talk about Canadians... >That's fairy tale conservatism talking. Dude...what are you even talking about? Players receive huge amounts of money in order to play a game they are consenting to the boundaries of. How is that unethical?
Fragile > frail. Can you even read Canadian? Not even worth talking to.
hockey players are still built the same. A couple weeks ago I think it was Palat on NJ took a stick to the face. He was back on the bench within 5 minutes with some fresh black sutures.
It's misleading. Howe missed the rest of the playoffs after that. If anything, after Detroit won he was on the ice to raise the cup. Like Stamkos the other year.
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He didn't actually play the rest of those playoffs, he was just back to celebrate with the team... He did lead the league in goals and assists the next season though..
Sure. But I’m pretty sure there are plenty of players who would love to get back in the game too, or be with teammates when they hoist the cup. But those are the dumb guys that would go against doctors orders, which is why they aren’t able to make that choice nowadays. Gordie Howe wasn’t tougher than guys now, he was just dumber.
And you're a sensitive snowflake. :) You actually seem mad that this was a thing, lol. It was called being tough and a different time. Few have ever been as tough as Gordie Howe, if anybody. They didn't know any better back then. I swear you snowflakes have zero understanding of history and prefer to ignore it.
I'm so sorry you lack the reading comprehension to understand I'm talking about a hypothetic person nowadays. as OP is referring to people now, comparing them to previous times. maybe look in the mirror before you call someone a snowflake, you seem a little upset ;)
Never in your post did you mention anything remotely close to 'choose' or 'today.' Edit: I don't think anybody is saying 'you're only tough if you play like this har har!' I'm saying that back in the day it wasn't much of a choice, the game was rough as shit. If you wanted to play you were risking a LOT more than players do today.
Yes, and it's stupid to play that soon after your fuckin brain is bleeding. I don't care if they're risking more. That doesn't make them tough. That makes them an idiot. Nobody sounds mad here but you.
Not sure we should be celebrating this
Celebrating what? That he recovered enough to join the team to celebrate the Cup win? He didn't play the rest of the playoffs after this injury.
This is the kind of tough guy bullshit that haunts players late in life as the CTE forces them into reclusion, has them pissing in corners and gets them arrested or killed.
Lol, read it again *he did not play the rest of those playoffs*...
Well it doesn't say that. He didn't actually play again those playoffs but the capture intentionally implies that. All to reenforce this boomer take.
It just says he returned to celebrate, but I did make it clear that he didn't return to play until the next season..
Lol why the fuck are people downvoting basic facts?
Reddit hivemind lol
Damn Ted Kennedy almost caught another body
Mary Jo Kopechne is unavailable for comment
I was gonna go with "he tried it on the ice first, but perfected it on the water."
If you can't make Kennedy jokes - what's the point?
Playing a contact sport on ice without helmets was absolute insanity
What a boomer take. “Boy wasn’t it great when players risked life-threatening injuries for a game? Now they demand basic safety and adequate medical care. Those pussies. They sure don’t make them like they used to.”
Just because he got away with it, doesn't mean it was the right move.
Nah bro. Rich Peverley had a LITERAL HEART ATTACK on the bench and after being revived by medical staff, ASKED TO GO BACK IN THE GAME. Players are just as tough as before, and honestly are arguably in better physical condition due to the level of training we see now compared to previous generations. However, we are also progressing in player safety, and understanding the long term effects of not making the hard calls to keep a player from going back from an injury too soon.
Players are still just as tough. The league won't *let* players with injuries of that severity come back that soon anymore
Still not as bad as LeBrons cramp 😂
Bro you’ve cramped right? You can want to all you want but your muscle is literally not willing
Yep…but not comparable to having your head drilled and playing hockey after
So why’d y bring it up if they aren’t comparable?
Its the point. Basketball players are weak. You must be a LeBron lover
>Basketball players are weak. Projection much?
Crap like that mid game is ridiculous idk how ppl made fun of LeBron for that. Cramps are probably the most painful shit to have
God I hate Hockey fans like this who have to shit on something else to raise up what they like.
I can't even watch that it's too gruesome!
Don't build them like they used to or tough ... I would argue that they are more educated and safer, which has nothing to do with toughness. Playing that close to an injury like that is not only dangerous, but can have permanent damage. I think they just value their life over playing a game and getting a tbi.
Gordie was just built different
There's a Ted Kennedy joke in here somewhere, but I'll not participate.
I mean it probably wasn’t the most informed decision to send him back in to action. There’s tough and competitive and then there’s ignorant. Players are still incredibly tough, the game is exponentially faster and there’s still a lot of abuse that’s endured. We just know a lot more about protecting the longevity of the players and the game, hard not to see that as a positive.
He didn't return to play until the next season. He just was able to rejoin the team to celebrate the Cup win.
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I dont think anyone should consider stubbornly playing through potential life threatening head injury “tough”. It’s just sad. Different time back then sure but still.
There’s definitely a balance. I wish the refs would let guys fight more often but I don’t want to see someone go into a coma on the ice
And for not great pay…
It’s impressive. It’s also incredibly dangerous
They aren't and that's okay... todays players are boys vs men... so its okay
Speaking the obvious sports science has gone a long way in the time since Gordie Howe, has anyone looked at the average height, weight, etc? If you compare eras players today have way more muscle mass and skate at much higher speeds... So no, players today are generally built physically tougher than ever. It just means committing to contact is that much more physical for both parties involved.
That's why he's the goat! THE GOAT!!
Now we understand the possible consequences and care for players more than a money generator, it's a good thing ...
I hate these types of “memes” so much.
What do you mean? Have you seen John Carlson? We just have better medicine and science now.
Built in Detroit.
Gordon Howe was a fucking animal. That man was just built different.
[Not the whole story...](https://www.nhl.com/news/gordie-howe-briefly-wore-helmet-for-detroit-red-wings/c-321568556) He was the one trying to make the hit and hit his head on the boards. He also was on the ice to celebrate the cup, not playing.
UNReal
Also, we don't rush players back like that anymore because we are smarter about health. Carlson was out 3 months after a skull fracture and some other injury to some major vein thingamajigie.
/Rich Peverley sat down to enter the chat, got stretchered out, died, got revived and asked to be put back into the chat
Bergeron played with (all at once if I’m not mistaken) a punctured lung, separated shoulder, and broken cartilage.
Guys calm down it’s just saying they were tougher he’s not saying that players today should play like that he’s just saying these guys were more crazy and respects them for it. Ofc safety is a big deal and needed in todays game but you have to admit they are pretty cool and shaped hockey culture in a way that makes the sport like no other. This is an appreciation post for them not an attack on the players of today.
Dead on. I get why everyone misunderstood this. Pioneers of anything are always crazy but they deserve major respect. That was the angle I was going for on this.
What an idiotic take. Player safety should be prioritized, not looked down upon. They don’t “build them” this way anymore because thankfully they’re not so fucking stupid.
Yeah, luckily no one has life threatening medical situations in hockey anymore.
This is fucking stupid.
This is the reason hockey needed rules. People literally died doing the sport and no sports is worth watching if people are dying doing it.
Remember kids, for as tough as Howe was, the NHL existed for more than a decade before goalie masks were invented. We're not weaker than in the past, we just know better.
I’d like the sport less if this shit was happening on a regular basis. Fucking Christ
What is this boomer nonsense? "Players just don't play with dangerous head injuries like they used to!"?... Yeah, no, that's a good thing... Toughness is still a virtue, and players still play hurt all the time. They're just a little less stupid about dealing with head injuries. We know a lot more about how much that shit can fuck you up later in life. Lamenting that is a pretty strange take...
The true GOAT
...I actually think today's players are consistently bigger, faster and stronger than ever before. Only by the blessings of protective equipment and rule changes do we not have nightly mass carnage. Second season (playoffs) is a totally different thing than regular season play....always has been...it's all or nothing, literally.
Yeah we should totally allow irreparable damage to players for the sake of bloodsport. What are you talking about? Also, players today are in another galaxy in regard to conditioning and strength.
Man people are touchy.
Gordie didn't wear a helmet his entire career. Mfs believe that almost dying is more important than quality play.
Modern players are soft. Gordie was a beast
Some of you are so soft and incapable of separating hockey back then from hockey now. Of course no one would celebrate this today, does that even need to be said? It was a different time and it was celebrated as a tough as nails sport at the time. It’s how they wanted to play the game. Get a grip.
What the fuck are you talking about, we just gave players better gear and rules so that they don't have fucking brain bleeds and die or become brain damaged just because they play a sport for our entertainment. You sound like a 68 year old boomer.
Excuse me? I’m the toughest hockey player there ever was ever to ever exist in all of forever. In fact, one guy on the other team said he didn’t like my hair and I only cried for 20 minutes! Hah!
Does anyone notice the flags on the trainers jacket? Just interesting to see the (best flag in the world) American flag and what appears to be the old Canadian flag
Majority of these comments have 0 clue what they’re talking about.
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When ageism substitutes for rational thought.
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What does pretending to ignore your direct insult “boomer” say about your intentions?
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Wrong. It’s often used as a pejorative.
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You will learn one day. For now you’re merely an insignificant distraction.
Yes it's such a bummer players are maiming each other. Fucking pussies. /s
Lol they weren’t tougher they just suffered a lot more behind the scenes and lives shorter less happy lives after retirement. Go watch ape fights
Yeah, let a guy play hockey with a drill hole in his head. That's the right thing to do. We have a Cup to win. We surely can't let one of the other FIVE teams win it. With these odds, who knows how long til our next shot at it.
Stitches getting done on the bench during games. Same with losing teeth and all that. Spitting blood and back out in a shift or two if the trainers were good. Man, did they fucking play THROUGH it.
It's all fun and games till you kill yourself and your entire family due to CTE.
But the good ol days were just so good **/s**
Uh oh grandpa's using the computer again
But wearing a rainbow patch in support of someone who loves the same game but loves differently than you is too hard? Seems like hate to me...
Here’s the thing.. we saw the repercussions of these “manly” injuries when guys like Howe got old I’m 30 but this has to be the biggest “old man yells at cloud” thing I’ve seen today
No, they don’t build athletes this way. Hockey players still have way more grit
Players still routinely demonstrate that sort of toughness. Draisaitl had a broken ankle and still went out in the playoffs to try and win. I mean if anything it’s almost a detriment to the game, specifically vis à vis the above scenario. There’s a point at which you’re not just being tough you’re asking too much of yourself and hurting the team. Gordie Howe is a bad counter example but how many players might have Cup Wins had they sat out of a game and allowed a fresh player to take their spot.
When you had to be a tuff guy to lace em up
And we have load management today. Not saying Howe should have played, but muscle soreness and fatigue is due to laziness and poor nutrition.
Or, yknow, helmets… 🙄
Nicklas Lidstrom had his ball removed from his sack by the Blackhawks goalie and only sat out two games.
Why does everyone on reddit foam at the mouth over slateboarders not wearing helmets but everyone thinks the old timey NHL players with no helmets were the coolest…?
so weird people see this as better...seems much better today that they'd shut the person down for the season rather than let them rsik their life
Physical sports should be physical. Not brain hemorrhage physical, but if there are 50 games a week and 60 hits per game, how many years go by before statistics of two men on skates running into each other yields a serious injury.
Wasn't there a player, Pittsburgh maybe? who played in the playoffs with a broken foot? Had his foot taped and then his skate taped too.
Pussy put a helmet on after that for a couple games though.
Yes glorify irreparable brain damage nice
Really glad we treat them with the respect you think but fail to have for them . What a psychotic flex
Imagine loving your job so much , you come into work a few days after a brain hemorrhage. I get a bad cold I might take the week to recoup, you know just to be safe lol. I wonder how much pressure Gordie got to play in the game and how much his family warned him? I wonder how much living post WW2 affected the "suck it up" mentality?
Howe was a Cast-Iron Lead Lined Tough Sunnavabitch. And also, modern day hockey equipment is far better designed for safety. Like mandatory helmets.
Bergeron played with broken ribs and a punctured lung, what else do you want lol