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Sunday, Jan. 17, 1999
The etiquette of the fight

   It's hockey's way of solving a dispute.
   For a fight to occur legally in this game, both players must agree to it and it must take place while the puck is in play.
   Players agree to fight by dropping their gloves. If one player drops his gloves and the other doesn't, the one who dropped gloves will be penalized. Any altercations that start after the referee stops play will result in heavy penalties.
   If IceRays enforcer Phil Valk picks a fight with an unwilling opponent, Valk will be charged with a game misconduct penalty, which also serves as an ejection. After three game misconducts in a season, a player is suspended for a game. After four game misconducts, a two-game suspension follows. Five game misconducts begets a three-game suspension and so on.
   After the gloves go down, etiquette calls for the players to decide if they want to take off helmets as well. Valk, for instance, likes to fight sans helmet and he'll wait for his opponent to toss his aside also.
   "That's what I like to do every time," Valk said. "Let the toughest guy win, you don't need any equipment. It's fair that way, and it should be fair.
   "When I drop someone, I'm not going to keep punching him when he's on the ice. I'll back off. That's the etiquette of fighting."
    Fighting for intimidation:
   Craig Coxe knows something about intimidation.
   The 15-year veteran punched his way to a six-year NHL career as an enforcer with the Vancouver Canucks. He went toe-to-toe with the game's most prolific fighter, Bob Probert, on more than one occasion, defeating him once and holding his own every time.
   More than a handful of NHLers have fewer teeth thanks to Coxe.
   "Hockey is all about intimidation," said Coxe, whose reputation preceeds him to the point where he no longer gets asked to fight. "When one of your guys wins a fight, it makes the whole team feel stronger. When the team is down, a good fight can help give the team new life."
   Corpus Christi coach Taylor Hall said the mere fact that a fight could happen can intimidate some teams.
   "Guys know that they're going to have to answer the bell," Hall said. "It helps keeps the sticks down. Just the thought of having to fight can be enough."
   Part of being an enforcer is also knowing when not to fight.
   "Fights can totally change a game's momentum," IceRays forward Brad Wingfield said. "Say we're up 3-0 and flying all around the ice and their tough guy comes on the ice and asks me to fight. I'll try not to fight him, because it wouldn't be best for my team."
    Fighting for protection:
   Enforcers like Geoff Bumstead and Brad Wingfield have a dual role.
   They moonlight as goal-scorers and set-up men, but their day job is to protect the IceRays' point-producers.
   "If someone is running at our players, taking liberties, that's when I feel most comfortable fighting," Wingfield said. "Guys on my line tell me they feel like they can do almost anything they want out there without fear of repercussion."
   Chris Robertson has played on teams where there were no protectors, and has learned to adapt his game to it. He prefersplaying with Corpus Christi, where he is comfortable knowing he has back up.
   "This year has been great," said Robertson, who leads the WPHL Central Division with 61 points. "We have the toughest team in the league. Guys aren't going to be slashing me in the back of the neck. Having the tough guys cuts down on all the really dirty play."
    Fighting for strategy:
   Every team needs a Quinten Van Horlick.
   Not blessed with the skills of a Chris Robertson, Van Horlick's greatest asset is the ability to bait opposing players into fights. That, and his uncanny ability to take several punches to the face, pop up from the ice as if nothing happened and be ready to go at it again as soon as possible.
   Fighting results in a five-minute penalty. If Van Horlick can get an opposing enforcer -- or even a skilled player -- to fight, the IceRays won't have to worry about that player helping his team for five minutes.
   "I usually know which guys to go after," Van Horlick said. "We'll talk about it before the game, who needs to get bugged a little."
   Phil Valk knows the value of a Van Horlick.
   "He goes after the other team's better players and frustrates them," Valk said. "You don't play as well when you're frustrated."

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