Six months after the QMJHL announced it would ban fighting, what impact did this decision have on the world of hockey? In recent weeks, the Journal has surveyed leagues around the world, including players passionate about fighting and experts concerned about athletes’ brains. We will present the result to you in the coming days.
What motivates a hockey player to fight mirror cabinets every weekend for a few hundred dollars? André Thibault makes no secret of it: he is addicted to the adrenaline that a hockey fight gives him.
• Also read: The most passionate advocate for keeping fighting in the QMJHL has changed his mind
• Also read: According to a Quebecer who plays there, “100% of NHL players” are pro-fighting
“Sometimes I’m grumpy and having a hard time, then I get on my game, I fight and then I’m talkative and funny like it’s Christmas morning!” says the idiot.
The 29-year-old tough guy admits he lacked the skills for a career in hockey as a child.
Photo Didier Desbusschere
He believes that it was the fights that allowed him to climb the rankings, he, now playing in the North American Hockey League (LNAH) with the Cool FM of Saint-Georges as well as the REEQ Isolation of Nicolet of the Quebec Senior enters AAA Hockey League (LHSAAAQ).
“I didn’t play much hockey, but I discovered that I have a certain talent and natural strength that allows me to persevere and that I have less chance of getting injured,” he explained.
“A big dose of adrenaline”
Thibault, a Coaticook resident, travels hundreds of miles every weekend to fulfill his commitments to his two teams.
He does it because he finds real satisfaction in throwing away the gloves.
- Listen to the interview with Dr. Dave Ellemberg, a neuropsychologist who specializes in concussions QUB radio :
“There is a spectacle aspect. Whenever I got into an argument, I rarely saw anyone sit down and sulk because there was an argument. The majority of people stand up and pull out their cell phones to film the scene. It gives us a big dose of adrenaline,” he emphasized.
“It’s comparable to skydiving. I enter a bubble, fight my battle and feel euphoric afterwards. Even if I have a bad night, I go back to sleep in my tank after the game and it’s like I just won the lottery.”
Not here to disappear
Thibault is aware of what the QMJHL has implemented as a rule, completely banning fights from its circuit since this season.
Some believe this is an aspect of our national sport that will disappear completely in the coming years.
Photo Didier Debusschere
Anyone who acts as an animal transporter in everyday life doesn’t believe it. He also believes that fighting is not the most dangerous thing in hockey.
“We talk a lot about the injury aspect of fighting, but there are many more injuries that come from violent blows in the heat of battle. To know that, you have to be in the locker room and hear the guys talking,” he said.
“I can do 30 fights in a season and get to the playoffs with a bruise and a sprained finger,” he pleaded. The situation is different for the defender, who was able to accept 25 hits per game and block shots for an entire season.
“Since the ban on fighting, we have been laughed at elsewhere. The vast majority of injuries occur from dirty hits. But nobody talks about that,” Thibault added.