"The Code"

[acdcrocksno1]

Apologies if this has been done before.

I'm sure everyone here knows about the code and how it is often reffered to. Certainly at points in fights there does appear to be times when one player lets up when the other is clearly hurt take Talbot and Callahan recently with Talbot letting up when his shoulder went and waving on the medics. However what I doubt is that he did that because of an unwritten code that all players abide by or just actually out of concern for a fellow human being?

Finally if there is a so called code then I sure hope that any enforcer in my team ignores it. How the hell are you meant to defend a team mate when you have to ask someone to go and then let it go when they say no?

[Flyer_Frank]

It's sorta changed over the years.

Back in the 70s? Squaring off fair? Forget it. Lots of jumping going on, head butts, taped fists, hair pulls, punching when down on the ice. Rule changes ended a lot of all that. But, when most guys weren't wearing helmets, you really didn't see the high hits and head shots you have recently. What you did see was careers wrecked by knee shots. A lot more low bridge hits and even dives at guys knees. It took Bobby Orr out at 26 (!), for all practical purposes, and a lot of other guys too.

Then in the 80s, you saw the strip fighters with guys losing everything to get an advantage . . . not exactly sporting but it went on and again it was rule changes that stopped that, not some unwritten code.

Rule changes are clamping down on hits from behind and head shots. No code has stopped that, penalties and suspensions have come in and they haven't stopped it entirely

I'd say it's generally rule changes that have the biggest impact, "the code" far, far less, but it does exist and has evolved over the years. In hockey, there will always be guys who break rules, break codes. The GMs make the rules and they've been around the block, know the game and can act quicker than any unwritten code of conduct.

[MattBurger]

I think that "the code" is more of a myth than anything else. I believe that when you see fighters let up after hurting an opposing fighter, it's because they're human beings who don't intend on seriously injuring a fellow hockey player. They know that the fighting aspect of the game usually isn't personal, it's strictly business. I think that, with a few exceptions, most players in the NHL respect each other enough to not intentionally severely injure one another.

[goats14]

I found this series of videos that I think a lot of people will enjoy and find interesting. I hope it may lay to rest the debate of whether a code does or does not exsist.

http://www.cbc.ca/fifth/2008-2009/th..._the_code.html

[fansince65]

Originally Posted by MattBurger

I think that "the code" is more of a myth than anything else. I believe that when you see fighters let up after hurting an opposing fighter, it's because they're human beings who don't intend on seriously injuring a fellow hockey player. They know that the fighting aspect of the game usually isn't personal, it's strictly business. I think that, with a few exceptions, most players in the NHL respect each other enough to not intentionally severely injure one another.

The "MYTH" part of the code is the correct analysis !!

Does a code exist ??

Many fans think it does , many players will tell you their is a code of some sort but no one follows it .
Lets face it , if you are being attacked by someone you are going to do whatever it takes to neutralize that person even to the extent of pounding him when he is down .
To many fans of the game are just that "FANS" , the only ice they have ever touched is the cube they put in their drink .
A lot of fans take the written word as gospel when it comes to honor among hockey players , well I can tell you on the ice it's dog eat dog and the strongest fiercest dog always wins .
The game of hockey is the fastest sport in the world , an average skater can go at a speed of 30mph , now you put a 6-4 220 pound player on that ice and let him hit you going at full speed and you may just understand .

Teams have players that are designated enforcers , their only purpose is to fight , some can play the game at an acceptable level , most are just "MUGGERS" getting paid to mug players on the opposing team , no other sport in the world has that kind of open hostility against other teams players , some even have been arrested for assault , most would be in any other sport for assault .
Now you tell me what kind of code is their amongst "MUGGERS" ?? The only one I can think of is the fact they dont kill each other , and that has even happened on more than one occasion , remember Ted Green , he had his skull cracked and almost died , where was the so called code then ??

The only code that exists in hockey is self preservation , you had better be ready to protect yourself at all times when on the ice THAT'S THE ONLY CODE THEIR IS IN HOCKEY THAT MATTERS TO THE PLAYERS !!!!

[cookie monster]

Jeff Odgers on the code "The code to me was all about playing hard and sticking up for your teammates."

Tony Twist on the code "If we were wearing the same color sweater, then I was going to defend you. That is what the code is. I had their backs and I knew they had mine."

Nick Fotiu on the code "To me it was all about protecting your teammates so they were allowed to play the game."

Jack Carlson on the code "I think the code is about playing with respect. That's what the code is all about: standing up for your teammates"

Rob Ray on the code "To me the code is all about respect......My job is to protect those guys (star players) because you win out lose with those guys"

Paul Holmgren on the code "The code to me was mostly about sticking up for your teammates."

Dale Hunter on the code "The code is about protecting your skill players."

Dave Hanson on the code "The code was about one thing to me: respect. You fought clean and didn't try to embarrass the guy."

These quotes are all from the book "The Code" by Ross Bernstein.

The code is about protecting your team mates, fighting guys straight up and not embarrassing a fellow tough guy.

Nothing about hitting guys on the ice or something like that in the slightest.

[flex_buff_chest]

Originally Posted by cookie monster

Jeff Odgers on the code "The code to me was all about playing hard and sticking up for your teammates."

Tony Twist on the code "If we were wearing the same color sweater, then I was going to defend you. That is what the code is. I had their backs and I knew they had mine."

Nick Fotiu on the code "To me it was all about protecting your teammates so they were allowed to play the game."

Jack Carlson on the code "I think the code is about playing with respect. That's what the code is all about: standing up for your teammates"

Rob Ray on the code "To me the code is all about respect......My job is to protect those guys (star players) because you win out lose with those guys"

Paul Holmgren on the code "The code to me was mostly about sticking up for your teammates."

Dale Hunter on the code "The code is about protecting your skill players."

Dave Hanson on the code "The code was about one thing to me: respect. You fought clean and didn't try to embarrass the guy."

These quotes are all from the book "The Code" by Ross Bernstein.

The code is about protecting your team mates, fighting guys straight up and not embarrassing a fellow tough guy.

Nothing about hitting guys on the ice or something like that in the slightest.

Sources PLZ.

Back on track: The code is silly business if you are actually wanting to enforce.

[flex_buff_chest]

Oh, and apology NOT accepted. This has been done MANY times before.

[mikebflorida]

I used to think the code was about certain things like not hitting a guy when he is down. That is a total personal preference. Some guys choose not to do that, some do. That doesn't make it a "code" for all tough guys.

In today's game, it's obvious that a guy like Raffi Torres has no "code", he has no honor, he's dirty, he doesn't respect his opponents and it used to be that a guy on the other team would deal with someone like Torres on the ice, they'd beat the crap out of him and teach him that he can't do that and get away with it.

Now the league is dealing with these rule breakers and it just doesn't have the same effect. If a guy doesn't have to worry about getting beat up and embarrassed on the ice they will be more willing to skirt the rules. That's how I see it.

Torres has to answer for what he did on the ice and that may happen tonight. We'll see.

The code has obviously changed over the years. If you watch tapes from the 70's, there were no rules, it was kill or be killed and when one guy felt like he hadn't earned the opponent's respect, he kept throwing even when the other guy was down or being held. My god, watch almost any Glen Cochrane fight! LOL

As designated fighters came into the league, it became a circus sideshow with huge guys squaring off after a faceoff, fighting, and then going to the box and you might not even see them the rest of the game. I didn't like that at all. And even now, you have guys throw wild punches and then pat the other guy on the head or butt and say good job. That's respect but it makes it seem like it's staged almost. They have a code of sorts and I think it comes down to respect more than anything else and some guys follow it more than others and when one guy doesn't you have players on the other team who then seek retribution.

[spiderarms]

Alot of today's fighters are a joke, patting each other on the back, tapping each other on the head after absorbing 10 punches in the face. It should NOT be just a job, its PERSONAL!

Anything goes, that's what builds rivalries, tension, passion and aggression. That's what made OLD TIME HOCKEY the greatest entertainment value ever!!!

The CODE? When you fight there is NO CODE!

The Code is MADE UP by PINK HELMET hockey fans who want to see fair fights. My suggestion to them is go watch PROFESSIONAL BOXING.

When you put on a hockey uniform and drop your gloves, you accept the fact that the other guy wants to knock you out and you in turn want to do the same thing. Your only responsibility is to YOUR TEAMATES and to WIN!

Tap Dave Semenko, Wendel Clark, Bob Nystrom etc on the back after a fight and they'll punch you in the face and rightly so!

This is the PROBLEM with hockey today, NO INTENSITY!

[fansince65]

Originally Posted by cookie monster

Jeff Odgers on the code "The code to me was all about playing hard and sticking up for your teammates."

Tony Twist on the code "If we were wearing the same color sweater, then I was going to defend you. That is what the code is. I had their backs and I knew they had mine."

Nick Fotiu on the code "To me it was all about protecting your teammates so they were allowed to play the game."

Jack Carlson on the code "I think the code is about playing with respect. That's what the code is all about: standing up for your teammates"

Rob Ray on the code "To me the code is all about respect......My job is to protect those guys (star players) because you win out lose with those guys"

Paul Holmgren on the code "The code to me was mostly about sticking up for your teammates."

Dale Hunter on the code "The code is about protecting your skill players."

Dave Hanson on the code "The code was about one thing to me: respect. You fought clean and didn't try to embarrass the guy."

These quotes are all from the book "The Code" by Ross Bernstein.

The code is about protecting your team mates, fighting guys straight up and not embarrassing a fellow tough guy.

Nothing about hitting guys on the ice or something like that in the slightest.

Cookie , you choose a couple dandies in this post , Tony Twist discribed the so called code with a lot of truth in his statement when he said "if you are wearing the same color sweater then I am going to protect you" !!
Your loyalty lyes with the team you are playing for , when you leave that team they become your enemy and you will fight your old teammates in a heartbeat , you owe your existing teammates your loyalty not your old ones .

Nick Fotiu thaught that trying to intimidate players as they got off the bus was the way to go , he used to stand in the dorway flexing then go and sit in the press box for the game ..

Dale Hunter was one of the dirtest players to ever play the game , he had no respect for anyone that didnt play on his team and was not above spearing any player that was in his reach on the opisition ..

[pmcginty]

Originally Posted by spiderarms

Alot of today's fighters are a joke, patting each other on the back, tapping each other on the head after absorbing 10 punches in the face. It should NOT be just a job, its PERSONAL!

Anything goes, that's what builds rivalries, tension, passion and aggression. That's what made OLD TIME HOCKEY the greatest entertainment value ever!!!

The CODE? When you fight there is NO CODE!

The Code is MADE UP by PINK HELMET hockey fans who want to see fair fights. My suggestion to them is go watch PROFESSIONAL BOXING.

When you put on a hockey uniform and drop your gloves, you accept the fact that the other guy wants to knock you out and you in turn want to do the same thing. Your only responsibility is to YOUR TEAMATES and to WIN!

Tap Dave Semenko, Wendel Clark, Bob Nystrom etc on the back after a fight and they'll punch you in the face and rightly so!

This is the PROBLEM with hockey today, NO INTENSITY!

what a load of crap. if their no code where do you draw the line? according to you there is no line at all. eye gouge? no problem. hair pull? sure,why not! why not just keep the gloves ON? square off?those are for *******, get the jump!why not just go for a full mount and bash their head off the ice?

some guys act because during the 70's and 80's sometimes this stuff happened that it was the norm. thats bull****. for every clip you can show i can show 20 that there was no crazy ****.

how long do you think a fighters career would be in your anything goes world?
how long before fighting is permanently banned?

you say people should watch boxing? i suggest you watch felony fights or youtube.

[pmcginty]

Originally Posted by fansince65

Cookie , you choose a couple dandies in this post , Tony Twist discribed the so called code with a lot of truth in his statement when he said "if you are wearing the same color sweater then I am going to protect you" !!
Your loyalty lyes with the team you are playing for , when you leave that team they become your enemy and you will fight your old teammates in a heartbeat , you owe your existing teammates your loyalty not your old ones .

Nick Fotiu thaught that trying to intimidate players as they got off the bus was the way to go , he used to stand in the dorway flexing then go and sit in the press box for the game ..

Dale Hunter was one of the dirtest players to ever play the game , he had no respect for anyone that didnt play on his team and was not above spearing any player that was in his reach on the opisition ..

so where does any of that say there wasn't a 'code'? what did twist say that infers there wasn't/isn't unwritten rules regarding fighting in hockey? what you quoted spoke to loyalty to teammates.

[pmcginty]

Originally Posted by MattBurger

I think that "the code" is more of a myth than anything else. I believe that when you see fighters let up after hurting an opposing fighter, it's because they're human beings who don't intend on seriously injuring a fellow hockey player. They know that the fighting aspect of the game usually isn't personal, it's strictly business. I think that, with a few exceptions, most players in the NHL respect each other enough to not intentionally severely injure one another.

yeah, what you just said is a 'myth' is actually the code. you say it doesn't exist, then go on to give examples of why it actually does exist.

the code = respect


pretty simple

[BaddaBing Badda Boom]

CODE - SHMODE!

Everyone of these guys if they are overly emotionally invested in a particular scrap are going to violate the code in some manner. I have seen Grimson who supposed to be a gentleman (and he is) go completely ape-sh*te - to gentleman Jimmy mac get too wrapped aroound the axle and look to inflict harm when the opponent was vulnerable

This is a high impact collision sport and tensions run at a fever pitch! For the most part the "code" is observed - but I would say it is equally over-ridden with rapacious rage and pure rank primordial fight/flight rage. And, everyone is susceptible - there r no exceptions!