Editor:
Violence is ruining the otherwise good game of hockey.
We were at a family dinner at a pub recently, and I happened to glance up at the TV screen to see two hockey players going at it, helmets off, punching each other in the head for a tediously long time.
Two referees were standing back waiting for a safe time to jump in and stop the fistfight.
Finally, one player lost his balance and fell and the two players were then manually pinned down.
Here is an idea that might prevent these skirmishes or at least make it safer to end them.
Referees should have at their disposal on the sideline the kind of safety nets used to catch such creatures as errant cougars, hyenas, emus or even wallabies.
These referees could rush over at the first sign of a fight and throw nets over the pugilists before things get out of control and precious time wasted.
These nets could be supplied by the same outlets that supply animal nets, or perhaps an inventive company can make them specifically for various sports leagues.
The nets could be called ‘The Yahoo Net’, or even ‘Net a Yahoo.’
P. J. Rust, Surrey