Write U.S
The law in the arena
Hockey case law has been well documented in extreme injury. However, garage league hockey games are sometimes the scene of violent blows, but without “extreme” consequences. Is there a case law for cases of assault, beatings, battles without consent? Ultimately, can a player signal a dangerous shot?
Marc Brodeur
Response from Yves Boisvert
In hockey, as in all contact sports, participants accept the normal risks associated with the sport. If, on the other hand, a player oversteps the bounds and commits an illegal act, he may be civilly liable for the damage he caused. Even though this is a contact league, jumping on someone from behind or hitting them with a stick is not allowed. Yes, there are several cases in the case law of amateur players, sometimes even minors, ordered to pay damages to a player they have injured by a wrongdoing. They sued the player in civil proceedings. There are also cases of criminal conviction (one does not exclude the other), including in the National League, for assault with a stick or assault. In such a case, a complaint must be made to the police. The difficulty in all cases is to prove the wrongful act or, even more difficult, criminal (it is necessary to demonstrate a serious intention or recklessness). In the absence of video, testimonials may suffice, but this is not always easy to establish. In short, yes, civil liability and criminal law apply on an ice rink as in the street, even if one is tempted to doubt it by watching certain matches …
Response from Alexandre Pratt
Contrary to popular belief, no, a hockey arena is not a lawless area. Injured players can file a complaint with the police if they believe they have been the victim of an illegal act. In fact, a senior league player has just been sentenced to nine months imprisonment in the community for attacking an opponent during a game played in La Tuque. Likewise, an arbitrator can also lodge a complaint if he is the victim of an assault. It happened a few years ago in Prince Edward Island, where an 18-year-old was sentenced to 30 days in jail for punching an official in the face.
The champion’s bonus
Do World Series winners receive a bonus?
Jacques Tanguay
Response from Alexandre Pratt
Yes. The amount is based on the revenue generated from the sale of tickets during the playoffs. In 2019, members of the Washington Nationals shared a prize pool of around $ 30 million. Traditionally, players take a vote to decide which other employees in the organization will also be entitled to a bonus.
The question of masks
Can you explain to me why hockey coaches have to wear masks during games? It’s a bit ridiculous considering that they spend most of their time with their players and they breathe aerosols at them during games, right? Thank you !
Patrick Montpetit
Response from Guillaume Lefrançois
Hello, Mr. Montpetit. Thanks for your question. You’ll notice that the Canadiens’ coaches only wear their masks (or chin covers, if you’re cynical) in Canada. In the Habs’ four games in the American West, coaches wore no face coverings. This is because NHL protocol requires players and coaches to abide by local rules. In Quebec, the mask remains mandatory in closed public places where the two-meter distance cannot be respected. In the United States, masks are recommended indoors for people who are adequately vaccinated, but not required. However, these measures are easy to apply when the team is on the ice, but a little less when everyone is in the locker room, behind closed doors …
The Canadian circus
We often talk about the media circus around the Canadiens in comparison with markets where hockey is not king, such as Columbus or Florida. But can we quantify this media circus? How many reporters watch a Canadiens home game compared to a Columbus or Florida home game?
Jean-Philippe Deschênes-Gilbert
Response from Guillaume Lefrançois
It’s quite difficult to judge at the moment, since the consequences of the pandemic on the in-person coverage of a team’s activities are still poorly measured. At the Sabers’ morning practice in Buffalo on the day of the game against CH, there were a dozen colleagues from the place, a figure that however includes the Sabers employees who work for their website. In Los Angeles, on the morning of a game against the Jets, there were only four: two Kings employees, the radio analyst and a reporter who works for the same station. After the game there were a dozen of them, but there were real journalists this time. After a game at the Bell Center, there may be 15 to 20 journalists present at the CH press conferences. In all, by calculating the broadcasters, we are talking about forty members of the Montreal media at a game. On the road, the Canadian is generally followed by about eight journalists from Montreal, in addition to the descriptors and analysts on television and radio, in French and in English. Obviously, the fact that the media of both languages follow the team necessarily increases the number of scribes assigned to the cover …
CONCACAF
Q. I’m a soccer fan and I have season tickets for CF MTL, but I have a hard time understanding how the CONCACAF League and the CONCACAF Champions League work.
Jonathan mondion
Response from Jean-François Téotonio
The CONCACAF Champions League is the equivalent of the UEFA Champions League, i.e. a prestigious competition between the best clubs in the region which the confederation takes care of. A Canadian club playing in MLS can qualify by winning the MLS Cup, by having amassed the most points during the regular season or by winning the Canadian Championship. The same options are available to American clubs, replacing the Canadian Championship with the Lamar Hunt Cup.
It gets a bit complicated when it comes to the CONCACAF League. Basically, this is a second-rate competition organized by CONCACAF to qualify more teams for the Champions League. The best six teams, so the four semi-finalists as well as the two best quarter-finalists, advance to the Big Champions League. This is why Forge de Hamilton, a CPL club that CF Montreal eliminated in the Canadian Championship, was still able to qualify in the Champions League by advancing to the semi-finals of the CONCACAF League. This means that Montreal could not qualify for the Champions League if it loses against Toronto next Sunday, while the Forge would be there.
You follow me ? If not, fear not: the CONCACAF League will be abolished after the 2022 season as the confederation begins a complete overhaul of its competitions.
Referees and sticks
Why do the officials leave a broken stick lying around on the ice while play continues? Why don’t they pick it up? Isn’t that part of their job?
Laurent
Response from Simon Drouin
Indeed, that is not part of their functions. The main task of the referees is to follow the game. Technically, they would indeed sometimes have time to pick up a broken stick. But imagine if they missed a penalty by making this move. At the pace of the game, their full attention should be on how the action unfolds. It’s up to the players to pay attention to what’s on the ice. They do, however, have the right to move a wandering stick or piece of equipment if it does not harm an opposing player, in which case they would receive a penalty.