When I was a little tacker my Dad took my older brother and I to an ice hockey game. It was a close game and we lost by a goal in overtime. There were so many fights going on that we had to take a different exit, then my Dad led us on a chaotic route through the big parking lot to avoid all the brawls going on outside. It was freezing cold and it took us forever to get to the car - my Dad's pride and joy, a 1959 Meteor two-tone. While we were waiting for the car to warm up my Dad handed around a rag so we could clean up our parkas a bit - blood, spit and mud - and said 'There's nothing like a rousing game of hockey to get you going - you boys eat up all your dinners and before you know it we can all join in with the fun afterwards'.
I grew up thinking that would be grand - my Dad and my brothers all joining into a brawl against the other guys. I always felt it was part of sport - but now we get outraged if the music is a tad too loud and have a spack-out if someone gets pushed around a bit. What's worse, some fools even suggested that we stand and hug our neighbours at the start of a game. Wow.
