OHL' s fighting rules putting linesmen at risk

In the wake of the tragic death of Whitby Dunlops defenceman Don Sanderson, fighting in hockey has been heavily scrutinized.

Sanderson died earlier this month after hitting his head on the ice following a fight in a game in mid-December. He slipped into a coma and, despite regaining consciousness for a short time before leaving the rink, he never recovered.

Gary Betman has said that the National Hockey League will look into possible rule changes regarding fighting when general managers meet in Florida in March.

At the OHL level, the league has already introduced a new rule regarding players removing their helmets before a fight.

The OHL’s new rule means players will be suspended for one game and fined if they voluntarily remove their helmets prior to a fight. Oshawa Generals captain James DeLory and Belleville Bulls forward Brando Mashinter were the first players to be suspended under the new rule.

Linesmen around the league have also been instructed to step in and break up a fight once a player’s helmet has come off.

The second part of the new rule is somewhat interesting having linesmen jump in immediately. In most cases players ease up once linesmen jump in to break up fights. There are few cases however where players continue to try to jostle and keep the fight going as the linesmen attempt to break them apart.

Cases where linesmen are hit are uncommon but this type of rule puts them at risk more than ever before. The safety of the players is certainly a priority, but the league has put other people’s safety at risk.

Windsor Spitfires forward Richard Greenop is known as one of the OHL’s toughest players. Since the new rule came into effect, he was involved in one fight in which his opponents helmet came off during the tilt.

"The linesmen didn't know what to do and then it came down to the ref having to yell at the linesmen to jump in," Greenop told the Toronto Star. "The linesmen don't know how to do their jobs now and it's going to cause injuries."

"The problem is that we're going to keep swinging and swinging and swinging," Greenop continued. "We're not going to stop until the fight's broken up."