Senior hockey player dies after on-ice fight

It's called "reasonable risk" or something like that.

It's like if I were a logger and tree fell on me, even though I and the compnay I work for and my coworkers took every single saftey precaution. There is still a reasonable amount of risk to the job (in this case, the sport) and I know and consent to that.

What happened here differs greatly from what Betruzzi did to Moore.

Sure, Moore probably expected to get into a fight at some point in the heat of the battle. But he didn't expect to be stalked and then assaulted from behind, and then have his neck broken.

Moore — and all hockey players — know there is a reasonable risk that a stick may come up high and cut him, a skate may do the same.

 

Inky,

There also is a reasonable risk that you may get killed or injured skiing. But if you get into a fight with a guy who cut you off on the slopes and wind up breaking his neck, I don't think reasonable risk would apply.

 

Exactly. That's my point. Fighting is always a possibility and expecting in hockey — reasonable risk. It's not in skiing — law suit.

 

Pete, an illegal act can never be a "reasonable risk" for the same reason that a contract is null and void if any of the stipulations are illegal. You can't say to someone, "There is a reasonable risk that you will be assaulted, and I can't take responsibility for that." Practically, what you say might make sense. But legally it is laughable.

 

There is a reasonable risk that a spouse will abuse or murder you -- but they keep charging folks for domestic crimes anyway.

 

Damien Cox chimes in on his blog:

http://thestar.blogs.com/thespin/2009/01/a-hockey-tragedy.html

 

Cox makes a good point especially in regards to the Gretzky view vs the Cherry view.

The unfortunate reality seems to be that a majority of Canadians seem to think that fighting "is part of our game" and that anyone who disagrees is a wuss.

 

No fighting in the Olympics.

No fighting--for the most part--in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

No fighting in the World Hockey Championship.

No fighting in the WJC--well, except for Piestany.

I like a good hockey fight as much as the next guy but it wouldn't diminish my love for the game if it were banned.

The NHL can do it. If they could get rid of pre-lockout rodeo hockey, they could get get rid of fighting.

 

FDP -

If a guy took a very hard charge in basketball, fell back, hit his head on the floor and died, I wouldn't expect charges to be filed against the charger. The play is within the context of the game. If a football player made a tackle by the facemask, and the guy he was tackling broke his neck and died, I wouldn't expect charges to be filed there either.

This incident is comparable to those above. Illegal, yes, but something you can reasonably expect to happen in the course of a game. Heck, if a player was hurt or killed in a baseball brawl (not that they hit hard enough in those for that to happen), I'd think the same thing.

 

Come on, how can anyone be surprised that fighting is part of the game. This happened in Canada: a nation that celebrates boxing day

 

How is fighting withing the context of the game? What rules allow for or encourage people to take their helmets off and punch each other in the face?

 

You should be ashamed of yourself