It’s good to hear that the kid was up and riding a fitness bike just days after he was carried off the ice on a stretcher following a fight with Petrovicky of the Penguins. However, hearing him say that fighting is what he is being paid to do, seems very hard for me to swallow.
By no means am I a pacifist and I am definitely not the type of ‘fan’ that Bettman has been trying to please by ridding the sport of fisticuffs. Hell, back in my hay day, I was known to throw a few. But I don’t ever recall ever thinking that it was expected of me.
Thinking back, I don’t think I have ever dropped the gloves in order to create a spark for my team. And I certainly never chose to do so late in the third suddenly after the game became tied. In fact, I think it is safe of me to say that every time I chose to tangle with an opposing player, it was to stand up for a teammate. And that’s where I believe this fading element of the game continues to have a place.
Fights like the one Newbury took part in, which leave a player flat on his back beneath an official waiving frantically for medical help, are the fuel behind people like Bettman and other church-goers who believe Don Cherry is the Devil incarnate. Though serious injuries caused due to fighting are quite rare, they leave enough of a black mark to make up for the countless duels that only bruise egos. But even if we were to turn a blind eye to those few frightening circumstances, how can we put aside the fact that the almost seriously injured pugilist publicly claimed that he believes he was doing what his employers expect of him?
Granted, Kris Newbury is on the roster bubble and when the Leafs are completely healthy, he’ll be back on the Marlie bus, no doubt. And if that happens, it will have nothing to do with how many 5 minute majors he has accumulated in his relief duty for us, but instead, it will simply be the result of politics and a convenient two-way contract.
No use killing yourself over it.
