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Is violence a problem in the National Hockey League?

In professional hockey, where enforcers step in to protect star players and fans cheer when a fight breaks out on the ice, violence is usually shrugged off as part of the game. But on Feb. 21, 2000, Boston's Marty McSorley lashed out at Vancouver's Donald Brashear with a swinging stick in the last seconds of the game, knocking him to the ice and triggering a seizure and a concussion. The slash was deemed so egregious that McSorley was charged in court. In this CBC documentary, reporter Tom Alderman asks whether it's time for the NHL to crack down on the rough stuff.  
• Charged with assault with a weapon, McSorley plead not guilty in a Vancouver court in September 2000. A judge found him guilty and, while delivering his verdict, urged McSorley to use his influence to effect changes to the game. McSorley served no jail time but the judge banned him from playing any game that Donald Brashear was also playing in. McSorley never again played in the NHL

•
Medium: Television
Broadcast Date: Sept. 25, 2000
Program: The National Magazine
Reporter: Tom Alderman
Guests: Robbie McGregor, Lance McGregor, Bill McMurtry, Mike Modano, Jim Sutherland, Brian Burke, Paul Kariya, Bruce Dowbiggin
Duration: 20:21

Last updated: October 1, 2013

Page consulted on October 1, 2013

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