Hockey seems to be the one thing that can transform the normally overly polite Canadian into a frothing, raging beast.
THERE’S ALSO A PUCK
Fighting has become an expected part of hockey. Certain players on hockey teams are assigned to be the “enforcers.” This is usually one player per team who is assigned to be the fighter, tough guy, or “goon” who responds to violent play from the opposing team. They are often the most popular players on the teams.
• In the mid-seventies, Bobby Hull of the Winnipeg Jets brawled with Birmingham Bulls Dave Hanson. Hanson got his knuckles caught in Hull’s toupee, and it came off in his hand during the melee, enraging the Winnipeg fans.
• In a 2007 game, Ottawa right-winger Chris Neil whacked the Buffalo captain. Drury’s forehead hit the ice, and he started bleeding profusely. That sparked a bench-clearing brawl. Even the coaches joined in the ruckus.
• Early in an April 1984 game, the Quebec Nordiques and Montreal Canadiens engaged in a full team against team fight. In the third quarter, another fight sent all players to the box. Referees gave 252 penalty minutes and ejected 10 players. Many refer to the night as the Good Friday Massacre.
• On March 5, 2004, the Ottawa Senators battled the Philadelphia Flyers and five consecutive fights broke out in the final minutes of the game. That night an NHL-record 419 penalty minutes were dispensed and 20 players were ejected.
• The only known death directly related to a hockey fight occurred when Don Sanderson of the Whitby Dunlops, a top-tier senior amateur team in Ontario’s Major League Hockey, died in January 2009, a month after sustaining a head injury during a brawl.
Pingualuit Crater Lake was formed in the middle of the tundra in Quebec by a meteor.