The NHL’s New Fight Club

One of my favorite local papers, the Regina Leader Post, featured an intriguing article today. The following is an excerpt from the article.

When Aaron and Derek Boogaard take a wannabe tough guy to school, they usually do it on the ice.

The venue switched to the classroom this week when the Boogaard brothers – who make the Hansons of Slapshot fame look like lightweights – staged their inaugural hockey fighting camp at a Regina training centre.

The clinic included more 30 registered players from age 12 to 18 who signed on to receive a crash course from two of the toughest customers in the game.

“We’re out here to show kids how to look after themselves when they’re on the ice,” said Derek Boogaard, a 25-year-old enforcer with the NHL’s Minnesota Wild.

“We’re showing them the little things that would help them out, rather than them learning the hard way and getting hurt.”

This article will, no doubt, cause some controversy on the issue of whether we should be teaching players how to fight.

For the Boogaard’s it looks to me like they have used their “tools” to fill a need. With 30 registered players strapping on the blades and dropping the gloves, they obviously found a niche market that was looking to be served.

Had this article shown up a paper south of the border, is it possible that there would be a larger fuss made about promoting violence in hockey?  Maybe.