No matter how charitable or positive you are about the game, this hockey team is mean, undisciplined and nasty. Odds are the Falcons will soon be league champions.

They were runners-up in league play, one point out of first place. They watched as two of their rivals played on the last day of the season. The victorious team was packed with players who were quick on their skates, scored pretty goals and were a delight to watch.

That first-place team lasted three lousy games in the playoffs, knocked out by a team that came in eighth and stood 18 points behind them in the standings.

Playoffs are different. The game is more intense; the hits are harder, the celebrations more emotional. How do the Falcons deliver more when one of their highlights of the season was a three-hour debacle that ended with the police racing to the arena to ensure peace?

They start by intimidating each and every opposing player, all of it permitted by referees who have decided to show leniency during the playoffs. When a defenceman goes into a corner they follow at high speed, hammering him into the boards. The top hand on their stick is always a bit lower, leaving the butt end ready to be jabbed into a stomach or chest. When the puck gets loose they continue their assault and get in one last punch as the ref looks down the ice.

Their stick is a weapon that's flicked into a player's stomach or slashed across his ankles. A big, tough forward is in front of the goalie at every opportunity, kicking at his stick or even his skates. Throughout it all there's a running commentary. The words, the phrases, are unprintable. Their goal is to beat up their opponents physically and psychologically. Make them fear for their survival.

Many who are faced with such a barrage lose their cool. They lash out in retaliation. They go out of their way to get vengeance and end up taking stupid, unnecessary penalties. That's when the Falcons' skilled players take over. They move the puck quickly with uncanny accuracy and often score on the power play.

Of course, hockey is a fast and unpredictable sport, which means the game doesn't always unfold as planned or expected. The puck bounces in a weird direction, a goalie gets on a roll, a key player is injured or winds up in the penalty box. Teams that aren't expected to win do.

Going into game three the thugs are nervous. They've executed their plan well, yet they're behind in the series. And now they're down 3-0 as the second period begins against the Bulldogs.

Veterans of the game can read the mood of the moment. The referee who has the game in his hands can see it building toward an explosion. He calls a penalty on the Falcons for a painful slash. The torrent of abuse hurled at him is even louder than the sound of the stick colliding with the player's leg. The ref adds two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Moments later there's a boarding call. This time the opponent turns and strikes back. Both of them get penalties, one for roughing, the other for slashing.

Next is a battle in front of the net. One of the Falcons' defencemen shoves his stick between a Bulldog's legs and almost lifts him in the air. The player is left rolling on the ice. The fans howl.

The ref hands out a major penalty. The outraged player charges towards the official, but is stopped by the linesman who runs interference. The ref ejects him from the game. The invective continues.

A few moments later it happens again, this time the infraction is an obvious hit from behind. His sentence is automatic, a two-minute penalty and a game misconduct. He duplicates his team-mate's exit, hurling obscenities at the officials and then at the crowd.

By the end of the period four players from the Falcons have been kicked out. It should be an advantage for the Bulldogs but the opposite has happened. Their desire for revenge, the ruckus caused by the penalties, and the viciousness of the Falcons' play has thrown the Bulldogs off their game. They're thinking more about survival than hockey.

The third period opens with the Bulldogs a man short. The Falcons score. The four banished players are in the stands, prancing and screaming. They walk behind their opponents' parents making menacing comments. Another goal is scored and then another. The game is tied.

The arena is awash in anger. The Bulldogs' parents are quiet, beaten into submission. The suspended players verbally abuse the girlfriends of their opponents. A young kid, maybe nine years old, mouths insults at one of the parents. His older brother laughs at a woman who shakes her head in disgust. There doesn't appear to be any limits on their behaviour.

The Falcons take the lead. One of the exiled players stands within metres of the opposing parents and screams obscenities. His hands are clenched. The veins in his neck are popping. He bobs on his toes. He's out of control.

A parent from the Bulldogs tries to diffuse the anger by offering to shake hands, to symbolically make peace. The offer is rejected and the tirade continues.

The game ends with the Falcons victorious. As they leave the ice they taunt their opponents, make obscene gestures and mock the parents.

They've accomplished their goal. Through intimidation and fear they've taken control. Total victory is just three more battles away.

  [Email Ken here]

Growing up, I played hockey. I worked part-time when I was old enough to work at a small town grocery store as a stock boy. I worked at the golf course as a caddy throughout the summer months and did everything I could to make sure that come fall I would have saved enough money to play the game I loved.

Although I wasn't always wearing the "top of the line" equipment, or using the fancy sticks, and although my gear certainly wasn't worth the thousands of dollars we, as parents, so eagerly spend these days, I was proud just to be able to play.

Yes, like many others, I am guilty of paying too much for the equipment my children have worn, all four of them ... two boys and two girls. Yes, like many others, I wonder if my kids will look back and appreciate all that we have done for them as they play the game we love. In the end I guess it doesn't really matter.

Yes, like many others, my wife and I have given up many of life's little luxuries so that our children could play at the higher levels. And yes, like many others, we see the look on their faces when they play, we see the friendships they carve out of the ice, and we see the life lessons they learn although they may not until later in life.

Yes, it is worth it. Just ask any coach what the opportunity to be involved in hockey has given him/her.

Tim Donovan
Nova Scotia
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I have watched midget hockey as a dad for two years and there have been steps to clean up the game. Referees are very quick to penalize players for verbal abuse, for unsportsmanlike jesters to fans and other players, as well as penalizing coaches for unsportsmanlike conduct.

My son's team was in their second round of the playoffs and a father from the other team was getting out of hand with his comments in the stands. It was not long before an OPP officer was standing right beside him.

I don't like seeing the game trashed so much in the media, writing only about the 1% of the bad things that happen and that happen in every sport.

I coach initiation hockey in our centre and you should see the transformation that takes place in these 4-6 year-olds during the season. Not only do they become more skilled at hockey but they listen better, they follow direction and they are more confident.

We have two novice local league teams in the playoffs together . They have played the last three games into overtime. Now that is fun and fantastic hockey to watch, worthy of national attention. These boys and girls are playing like they are in the Stanley cup finals.

I spend a lot of time in the rink and fantastic things happen there, just like any sport. I wish I was able to and other people were able to read about it.

Kelly Hastings
Collingwood
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I grew up in New York and now live in Berkeley, California, but your articles ring true. Change hockey to basketball, change freezing your toes off to sweating in a sweltering New York summer and we all have had the same experiences!! I was a park rat playing hoops as a girl and a young woman, and now try and transfer my experience and love for the game to the boys & girls I coach at the local YMCA.

It's wonderful seeing kids who make their own fun through sports as we did "back in the day" - no need to play video games and the like. Sports are the universal language and I can identify with everything you write! Keep up the good work, this American will be reading!

Carla Maria Wigio
Berkeley, California
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