International Power Skating System, Proven By The Pros, by Laura Stamm

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Violence in Ice Hockey
By Laura Stamm

I have followed the sport of ice hockey all my life. In 1971 I pioneered a scientific approach to teaching Power Skating (skating technique for hockey players). During the ensuing years I have coached hundreds of NHL players, as well as hockey players of all ages and abilities. I developed the science. I trained the teachers and taught the players all over North America and Europe.

I’ve seen hockey at its best and at its worst. Recently, I’ve become extremely concerned with the ever-increasing violence in hockey, and with the fact that young players are being encouraged to hurt the opposition, and to win at all costs.

I don’t know what can be done to change this apparent modus operandi: after all, youth teams learn from the pros and look what’s going on at the pro level. I do, however, feel that this is a grass roots issue, and that parents, as a group have to start screaming for change.

If my children were playing hockey today. I know I’d be screaming. Or, I’d pull them off a team if the coach was teaching inappropriate and harmful behavior.

HOCKEY IS AFTER ALL, ONLY A SPORT. NOT A WAR!!!!!! KIDS SHOULD BE LEARNING TO COMPETE FAIRLY, SHOULD BE LEARNING SPORTSMANSHIP!!!!!! DO WE EVER HEAR THAT WORD USED TODAY?

Here are some questions which I suggest need to be addressed:

How do traumatic injuries affect the business world and society in general?

What are the ramifications of violence in sports - violence extends to other areas of “play”?

How do injuries affect parents - are they traumatized by the fear (and actuality) of catastrophic injuries to their children?

What are the medical bills adding up to? What does it cost to fix a concussion, whiplash, to care for someone suffering irreversible paralysis caused by a spinal cord injury?

How many days are lost at school - how much money have school districts lost in state aid?

How many days are lost at the job by adults who suffer hockey injuries?

How much productive time is lost by employers?

How much productive time is lost by injured workers?

How much money is paid out in medical insurance reimbursements?

How much money is paid out to attorneys in lawsuits relating to violence in hockey?

What is the liability to rinks? Who is ultimately responsible for violent behavior out on the ice? Rinks? Coaches? Hockey Organizations? Parents? Referees?

What is happening with liability insurance premiums? All participants, including rinks, hockey schools and skill development programs pay increasingly higher premiums.

In Pro Hockey how many million dollar babies have been lost due to traumatic injuries?

What have these injuries cost the teams, the leagues, insurance companies?

Sidelined last year alone, Paul Kariya, Eric Lindros, Pat Lafontaine, Nick Kypreos (knocked out in a fight). How about the multi-million dollar payoff to Brett Lindros for having a career end prematurely due to suffering too many concussions?

What about injuries to super stars, many caused or aggravated by “intent to injure tactics”, which forced them into early retirement - for example: Mike Bossy, Mario Lemieux, and Bobby Orr?

Other horrific examples: During last year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs Ed Belfour put his stick between Martin Lapointe’s legs and swung it upward into Lapointe’s groin. That replay was shown time after time. No suspension.

Tie Domi in a fight in mid-April, 1998, with Chicago’s Cam Russell, swung Russell around. Russell’s head hit the ice and he was knocked out and taken to a Toronto hospital. Russell was okay after tests. Domi felt “bad” because Russell’s wife and kids saw it on TV.

Denis Vaske (rammed into the boards by Eric Lacroix a couple of years ago) has struggled with ongoing problems as a result of head injuries. Cam Neely (gone because of vicious hit by Ulf Samuelsson) was forced into early retirement.

Phoenix defenseman Jim Johnson finally skated in June of 98 for the first time after the concussions he suffered months before. He finally got over the headaches and blurred vision and recovered 75 percent. Doctors warned him that his injury was career threatening...he was an unrestricted free agent. Since, Johnson has been forced to retire.

Andrew Long, a major junior player for the Guelph Storm was cross checked by Jesse Boulerice across the head and face and had life threatening injuries. Long suffered a concussion, broken nose, two black eyes, a broken bone between his nose and lip, a fractured bone near his nasal cavity, 20 stitches and spent three days in the hospital. That happened on April 17, 1998. Long was not allowed to skate for three months. Boulerice was with the Plymouth Whalers. Their media guide lists him as “intimidating and confident”....”one of the OHL’s toughest fighters.”

Paul Mulvey, as a young strong NHL player was ordered by his then coach to “go out and dance” with the opposing tough guy. Paul refused and was subsequently cut from the team and blackballed throughout the NHL. He sued the team. The lawsuit ended up in court. Paul is now running a skating rink in Virginia. He is proud to this day of his brave decision to refuse a senseless and unprovoked fight.

Brian Burke, Senior Vice President and Director of NHL Hockey operations before Colin Campbell, said that “hockey is a man’s game, to be played by men.”

But even with this “men being men” position, have the NHL, the medical profession, insurance companies, corporations, etc. done any studies to discover the impact of hockey violence to their profit margins? It would be an interesting study. The results might be astounding!

Laura Stamm copyright. Laura Stamm. June 1999

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