Is hockey a violent sport? I don’t think so. There’s definitely a code and it is very similar to the ol’ “eye for an eye” one. Within that code though, is a code of ethics. If a guy is due, you do it clean. You check him clean or you drop your gloves and have a go of it. Bertuzzi uphelp only part of the code and failed miserably on the other part. It’s hard for many people to believe him when he says he didn’t mean to hurt the guy, but I believe him…to a point. He wanted to inflict a bit of pain, the kind that comes with a hockey fight. The kind that usually goes away with a few tylenol. Instead he hit him from behind when he was essentially defenseless. The punishment seems appropriate.

As a Christ follower and a hockey fan, I often get asked about fighting in the game. Personally, I feel that it does have a place and hockey players understand that, and therefore it’s not violence- at least, no one is violated, they all know what they’re in for…this latest incident notwithstanding. Still, perhaps hockey players would be better to follow Jesus advice more often than not.

How's that for a strong opinion? Oh well...