Sports

21 Year Old Hockey Player Dies From Fight-Related Injury

by TFleming | January 2, 2009 at 04:54 pm

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Don Sanderson, a 21 defenceman for the Whitney Dunlops has died in hospital after sustaining a head injury during a hockey fight on December 14. He had been playing in the Ontario Hockey Association senior league when his helmet came off during a fight against a player from the Brantford Blast.

Senior AAA is the highest level of senior amateur hockey in Canada, involving players who are aged 21 and over — too old for the junior level — at the start of the season.

Sanderson was fighting forward Corey Fulton during the third period and his helmet came off during the confrontation. Near the end of the tussle, both players fell and Sanderson's unprotected head hit the ice.

Sanderson was out cold on the ice for about 30 seconds, before briefly regaining consciousness. He eventually fell into a coma and was on life support.

Dunlops president Steve Cardwell said the fight wasn't that rough.

"It didn't look like it was as bad as obviously this has turned out to be," he said. "At the time, it looked like so many other fights that anybody connected with hockey would have watched over the last number of years."

This will no doubt re-open the ongoing debate over whether fighting should be allowed or banned in hockey. There are several written and un-written rules when it comes to fighting in hockey and this tragedy will make all players re-think their current stance on the subject. League rules state that all certified helmets must be securely fastened with a chin strap. The un-written rule is that no more than one or two fingers should fit between the strap and the players chin.

On the other hand, when fighting in hockey it is common curtousy to remove your own helmet so that your opponent doesn't hurt their hand. So what can be done to ensure that this won't happen again? Banning fighting altogther will be nearly impossible to enforce and unpopular among fans and players alike. Stiffer penalties are enforced in many leagues but doesn't deter many players. The most plausable solution to the debate should lay in the hands of the referrees. They should stop a fight as soon as a helmet comes off as opposed to letting them continue.

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