I was just watching the City-TV 6:00 PM news.  The leading story is a “shocking video” about “nine-year old kids mimicking their Junior and NHL idols” [to paraphrase].  The issue that is so important that it needs first story coverage?  Well, it seems a “line brawl” broke out between two teams in a recent Atom Division hockey game.  The video featured two sets of five opposing teammates pushing each other on the ice with the occasional punch to the cage helmet.  The story was presented, of course, as if this was new behaviour that we should all be “shocked” and “appalled” about.

None of the City News crew grew up or played hockey in Northern Ontario or any other community in this country, apparently.  This kind of thing is as old as the game of hockey itself.  It’s a violent game:  give kids full armament, a stick and tell them to chase a puck around a surface of ice and you will have some confrontations.

I am not trying to sound like Don Cherry, believe me.  But this kind of media coverage has to stop at some point before all of our intelligence is insulted beyond repair.  The kicker with this story (unfortunately the video isn’t up on their site yet) is that it was submitted by a parent who was video taping the game.  That’s right, a parent who thought the other team “started it”.   Good Lord.  This was the top story on Toronto’s leading evening newscast tonight.  Make it stop, please.

In case you were wondering, their next story was against body contact for kids in hockey.  It’s little wonder that some parents are afraid to let their kids out of the house, let alone play a CONTACT sport.  You know, they might get a “concussion” if they leave the sanctity of their bedroom, family room or backyard.  Broadcast media are so predictably pathetic.