The Shifting Code of Honour
By Mike Lummis
The other night, I was watching a playoff hockey game between the Calgary Flames and San Jose Sharks. At one point in the game, San Jose’s resident tough guy, Jody Shelley, was on the ice. During a shift he knocked over Mikka Kiprusoff, the Flames goalie. To add insult to injury, as he skated away he poked his stick at the back of Kiprusoff’s legs, knocking him off-balance. In the code of NHL hockey this is what’s known as the “Intimidation Factor.”
Having watched NHL hockey all my life, I wasn’t shocked or confused by what I witnessed. I knew it to be a particular element of the game. But is it necessary? Is it sport? Can’t San Jose just prove themselves by out-playing Calgary and winning the game? Isn’t beating the other team on the scoreboard the ultimate “Intimidation Factor”?
I mean, really, what Shelley did was unsportsmanlike and had nothing to do with skill or talent. Old-school hockey purists would disagree. They’d argue that intimidation is a necessary and vital part of the game and it can turn the tide when a team really needs it. Maybe so, but is it fair? Is it something to be proud of?
As I questioned the merits of intimidation in hockey, I considered the other end of the spectrum: tennis. I’ve witnessed, on numerous occasions, one player over-turning an umpire’s call that he/she deemed to be the wrong, thus conceding the point to their opponent. The first time I saw this extraordinary act of sportsmanship I remember being stunned. Isn’t the code of sports “Winning is everything”? In professional tennis, evidently, the code is quite different. It is “Win fairly.” What a novel concept - to win a game knowing that you won fairly, playing by the rules and respecting one’s opponent.
I believe the code in tennis should be the one practiced in all sports, even hockey. I’ve seen basketball players pretend that they didn’t touch the ball as it went out of bounds. I’ve watched football players pretend they caught the ball when the TV replay shows that they didn’t. And I’ve seen countless soccer players writhe in agony over being tripped by a player who never came close to touching them.
In other words, cheating and deception are rampant in professional sports. Witness the steroids scandal in baseball and track and field. Players seem to live by the code “By any means necessary.” It’s sad really. As an athlete, I would want to be secure in the knowledge that I was truly victorious. How proud can one feel having gotten away with cheating in order to win? Where’s the joy in that?
Hockey is a game of finesse, power and incredible skill. I long for the day when the players will go all out against each other honourably. And, if I’m honest with myself, in hockey at least, that day will probably never come. It’s not enough to win by skill alone. If it takes bully tactics to get the job done, then so be it.
I’m not going to stop watching hockey or any other sport where the code of honour is skewed. But I’m sure going to be inspired the next time I see a tennis player correct an errant call in favour of playing honourably. That’s sportsmanship. That’s sports.