THE NHL : League Hasn’t Put Up Much of a Fight to Stop Brawling

Larry Goossen, one of the operators of the Ten Goose Boxing Club of North Hollywood, called last week and asked a reporter: “Hey, why do you keep writing all that negative stuff about the fighting in the Kings-Oilers game? That’s a part of hockey, always has been.

“That game got me interested in the Kings again. Maybe they’ll be tough enough to go somewhere this year.”

Initially, it seemed easy to discount Goossen’s opinion, chalking it up as natural for someone who makes his living in a violent world, but hardly representative of the typical hockey fan.

Not necessarily.

There are a lot of Larry Goossens out there, fans who revel in the gore. They are not only numerous, but vocal.

Many of the fans were exhorting their heroes to fight during the Forum slugfest between the Kings and Edmonton, which contributed to an NHL-record 86 penalties.

The players just shrugged Wednesday off as one of those nights. King owner Bruce McNall took satisfaction from the thought that his team was finally showing some toughness. And General Manager Rogie Vachon insisted that such incidents can’t always be avoided.

How can they be in a league where one of the biggest brawls in its bloody history is met by silence from the NHL’s president? When a reporter called John Ziegler, hoping for a comment on the King-Oiler fiasco, he was told there would be no response.

It was left to Brian O’Neill, a league vice president, to respond. “What could (Ziegler) say?” a league spokesman asked the reporter.

For starters, maybe: “This disgrace will never happen again.”

No wonder Goossen and a lot of other people feel the way they do. They have friends in high places.

From the president down, the prevailing opinion seems to be, this is hockey.

Why? Where is it written that there is a natural relationship between hockey and fighting?

The potential for violence is, perhaps, even greater in basketball, where giants constantly collide in the small space under the basket.

In baseball, an object flying at batters at speeds close to 100 m.p.h. creates a constant atmosphere of tension.

Football, the most violent game of all, could easily turn into a weekly fight card.

But it doesn’t happen. Not in any of these sports. And the reason is, those at the top hold a tight rein. Pitchers are quickly ejected for throwing at hitters. Players are removed, suspended and/or heavily fined in all other sports before they can wreak havoc.

When the Lakers’ Magic Johnson and the Phoenix Suns’ Kevin Johnson engaged in a shoving match early in a game this season, both were immediately kicked out, although they are marquee players that fans had come to see. The NBA made it plain that the prevention of violence is a high priority--and no punches were ever thrown.

If that had happened in the NHL, they wouldn’t have stopped play.

After all, in a game that resulted in 86 penalties, seven ejections, numerous fights and a facial fracture and scratched cornea sustained by King right wing Tomas Sandstrom, the total punishment to date has been one $500 fine.

Give us a break.

How do you stop it?

Sunday’s game between the Kings and the Winnipeg Jets is a good example. There were five ejections, although not a punch was thrown. Several of the ejections were automatic, but referee Rob Shick was still criticized by players and coaches.

And the headline in the Winnipeg Free Press read: “Zebra Steals the Show.”

Maybe it should have read: “Zebra Saves the Show.”

Maybe if more officials blew the whistle on the goons in the NHL, scenes such as last Wednesday night’s wouldn’t occur.

If the ejections had started early in the first period, the King-Oiler game might not have degenerated as much as it did. The message would get through quickly. Either the league’s bullies start playing hockey, or take their talents where they would be better appreciated.

Like the boxing ring.

Or Wrestlemania.

Wednesday’s violence didn’t even reach that level of respectability. It looked more like the gang wars in the streets.

Even in boxing, the mayhem is controlled. Nobody is allowed to go after an opponent with a stick.

As for the fans who say the violence is one reason they come, hockey will survive without them.

It’s a sport with a lot to offer--basketball on ice, soccer on skates. And in some ways, it’s even better.

Hockey has the constant action that basketball lacks because of those endless trips to the free-throw line. And hockey has the potential for high scoring that soccer lacks.

Watching Wayne Gretzky perform his magic on the ice can be every bit as aesthetically pleasing as watching the magic of his fellow Forum superstar.

So why has hockey gone a decade without a regular presence on network television?

Because to enter the mainstream of team sports and reach a wide audience, it has to shed its bad-boy image. The blood turns off too many people.

Yes, fighting has a place in sports.

But only in the ring, not on the rink.