Usually Hockey Fights Don’t End Like This

Joel Theriault and Gaby Roch are not your typical fighters.

That’s because unlike football, basketball, soccer or basically any sport that isn’t actual fighting (i.e. boxing or mixed martial arts), hockey doesn’t typically eject its players for physical altercations. Instead, you get a 5-minute sit down in the penalty box. You can be ejected for high-sticking, or multiple infractions of escalating fights, but squaring up with an opposing player and trading blows (usually) won’t get you kicked out of the game permanently.

Violent interactions rarely end with a high five, a hug and a smile.

But for Joel Theriault and Gaby Roch, two hockey players from the semi-professional Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey in Quebec, Canada, a fight ended just like that.

In the hockey world, a moment like this is a big deal. Extracurricular violence in hockey has been a major talking pointfor people in the sport. Just look at this google search:

That’s because unlike football, basketball, soccer or basically any sport that isn’t actual fighting (i.e. boxing or mixed martial arts), hockey doesn’t typically eject its players for physical altercations. Instead, you get a 5-minute sit down in the penalty box. You can be ejected for high-sticking, or multiple infractions of escalating fights, but squaring up with an opposing player and trading blows (usually) won’t get you kicked out of the game permanently.

A fight like this is a reminder under some circumstances, people are capable of losing their temper, acting stupidly and then coming to a reasonable resolution. Martial arts is another where we’ve seen a violent interaction come to a respectful resolution, as evidenced by the match we covered that ended with a bang (in a Hollywood-like fashion).

What do you think? Should hockey fighting be banned from the sport? Check out the video below and then let us know.