The Ice Dogs cometh, usually with their fists

"For years, hockey administrators have justified their tolerance for fighting by saying intimidation of other teams is needed if you are going to win," Mr. McCaw says.

But two years ago, McCaw studied that very premise. He and John Walker, a medical doctor with the Texas Youth Commission, pored over statistics for 18 Stanley Cup series played between 1979 and 1997. They found that in 13 of 18 Stanley Cup finals, teams that played with more violence and, as a result, accrued more penalties, went home losers.

"Statistics show that if you turn the other cheek when you feel the urge to retaliate, and let the other teams get the penalties, then in the end you'll come out on top," says McCaw.

Younger and younger fighters

But Gary Kline, president of the Bozeman Amateur Hockey Association, has watched as the aggressive behavior of professionals and local junior players is adopted by wide-eyed youngsters. He remembers one incident in which a five-year-old player had no interest in completing skating drills, but when a junior player offered a lesson in how to fight, the child's attention perked up.

"We've had some parents unfamiliar with hockey signing up their kids to play because they thought it was a place they could legally fight," says Mr. Kline, a dentist. "They miss the point."

Many coaches here decry the violence at all levels, but they say referees are pressured by team owners and fans to let players fight.

In his first season as coach of the Butte Irish two years ago, Mike Corbett's team played in Bozeman, where his players were showered with beer by Bozeman fans. A few attacked his players as they were leaving the ice, and when Corbett tried to intercede, he too was punched.

Need for discipline

As a former player at Denver University in one of college hockey's premier leagues, Mr. Corbett understands that the dreams of his players are dependent upon discipline. "I owe it to my athletes to teach them how to be better, smarter hockey players, not to transform them into nightly participants in 'The Gong Show,' " he says.

A backlash against the fighting might be gaining momentum. During a recent game, players for the Billings Bulls, at the behest of their coach, dropped to the ice and refused to fight when they were challenged by players from the Bozeman Ice Dogs. The crowd in Bozeman booed, but Billings won the game, and Bozeman, which has gained a reputation as brawlers, sits at the bottom of the standings.

In the end, amateur coach Kline says, violence is hockey's worst enemy. "We know that if this sport becomes too violent, parents will not let their kids play," he says. "This should be an exciting sport to watch. It is also a safe game to play."

(c) Copyright 1999. The Christian Science Publishing Society

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