ARE APOLOGIESNECESSARY IN

HOCKEY?BRUCESTREBINGER.NET

The excitement that surrounds the game on and offthe ice adds a whole new dimension to what

hockey is and why we like it so much.

Our favorite players are distinguished by their skillon the ice as well as their toughness.

I have certainly stood up and cheered when a littleextra conflict breaks out.

That said, I think it is important to remember thatfights and other conflicts are not really within the

scope of the game.

Thus, when Scott Hartnell decided to apologize tohis Blue Jackets teammates, I thought that spoke

well of his regard for sportsmanship.

Some of us might remember the mid-Januarygame between the Blue Jackets and the

Avalanche.

VS.

This close match was tied at 1-1 at the end of thethird quarter so anything might have tipped the

score to favor one team or the other.

Here is how the events unfolded:

Hartnell had words near the Avalanche bench.When it was time to yield the ice for anAvalanche line change, Hartnell refused tomove.A penalty was called because there were toomany men on the ice.Hartnell was kept on the bench for the rest ofthe game.

RAISING THESTANDARD

This is hardly the knock-down fight we sometimessee in hockey but it is an example ofunprofessionalconduct.

I am sure all my readers can think of other situationswhen similar conflicts came up.

Sometimes there are handled poorly.

In this case, Hartnell chose to apologize to the BlueJackets. His actions interfered with the game and histeammates.

Taking the initiative to address an instance of poorsportsmanship speaks highly to Hartnell’s

commitment to his team and to sport.

I hope that we will see other instances of playerschoosing the higher road even after mistakes are

made.

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