USA Hockey Adult Hockey

The question was posed innocently enough to Annetta Powell, who has been running the Anchorage Adult Hockey League for 22 years: Are there goons in your league?

“You can’t put a bunch of adults on the ice and give them sticks and tell them to put pucks in the net and expect otherwise,” Powell said with a chuckle.

Indeed, goons aren’t limited to NHL enforcers or the comical Hanson Brothers from the movie “Slap Shot.” Players who want to fight or play dirty make up a very small percentage of those in adult hockey leagues, but after talking to directors from several leagues, it’s clear that they do exist.

“Even though these players are the exception and not the rule, I think every league, at one time or another, needs to deal with these type of players,” said Anthony “Ace” Malette, who is in charge of the Greater Portland (Maine) Industrial Hockey League. “Sometimes we are dealing with a serial goon, who only likes the game of hockey because of the checking and fighting. Other times we are dealing with a player that may have had a bad day at work and can't put that behind them and enjoy the camaraderie of their teammates and the great game of hockey.”

The good news is that the vast majority of leagues feel they have the problem of goonish players under control, and many league directors agree that things have improved with increased discipline both at individual league and USA Hockey-wide levels.

“We have tried very hard to eliminate it, but it does happen,” said Brandon Koontz, director of the MN Wild Adult Hockey League in Minnesota, who added that, with “tracking and lack of tolerance with increased reporting,” almost all of it has been eradicated.

What to Do About Goons

The typical “goon,” Powell says, tends to be a younger player fresh from high school or junior hockey.

“They feel like they have something to prove,” she said, “and they’re going against guys who are 30 and 40 years old.”

Policies vary from league to league, but many directors said targeting the problem players early on and getting them off the ice is the key to prevention.

When her league had a problem with rough players, Powell – with the help of referees – instituted a “player card” system.

“Every player has a card with picture ID, along with name and phone number. Before each game, the captain collects all the cards. Only those on the roster are allowed on the ice. The cards are checked,” she said. “If a player is kicked out for fighting, the referee keeps the card and the player is not allowed on the ice until he serves his suspension (two games) for the team on which he got his suspension. That deterred it quite a bit.”

Keith Andresen, assistant vice president of hockey programs with the Dallas Stars, who oversees an adult league with 167 teams and close to 2,500 players, has a similar protocol.

“We track penalties and will escalate suspensions with repeat offenders,” Andresen said. “We have refused to allow players with a history of unsportsmanlike play into our league.  We have also refused to allow teams with unsportsmanlike history into our leagues.”

Minimizing Disruption

It’s important for league directors not to let the proverbial bad apples spoil the whole league.

“A goon disrupts the league,” said Kenny Benson, who runs the Midland (Mich.) Adult League. “Everyone is on edge when playing a team with ‘the goon.’ Both sides tend to get out of control and create a scenario where nobody is having fun. If league rules are written and enforced with a progressive stance towards fighting, then you’re isolating the impact of the goon, and hopefully curbing their behavior on and off the ice.”

Directors also say it’s important not to overreact, but if a situation warrants it, decisive action is needed to keep a league running smoothly.

“As a person who wants to the see the game of hockey grow, I always try and give the benefit of the doubt, because I don't want to take away a players ability to play,” Malette said. “But on the same token, it is also my job to enforce the rules of the game and make sure we are providing a safe and fun environment for the rest of our players.”

After all, the rest of the players are the reason the league exists.

“Ninety-nine percent of these guys just want to play hockey,” Powell said. “It’s that one percent that just makes you a little grey sometimes.”