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Hockey fighting for national attention

While attending a Phoenix Coyotes game last week, I was one of those in attendance witnessing a rare treat. No. 97 Jeremy Roenick lit up the New Jersey Devils with a hat trick, one of the more difficult feats in sports.

But two teams added something more special to the holiday air: they were able to complete an entire game without getting into fisticuffs.

This occurrence allowed onlookers to experience a game of speed, skill and intensity and miss out on the usual NHL thuggery.

Most, though, didn't even know they missed it.

Taken in by the quick skating and athletic abilities of the players on the ice, the fans were captivated by great players at the top of their game.

This is what hockey needs to finally push itself into the national spotlight.

No other sport allows players to take shots at each other back-alley style with little fear of punishment.

Old time hockey fans may be angered at this statement, but follow me here before fans get all up in arms.

Physical play is at the core of hockey.

A good check into the boards can be the turning point in the game, but physical play does not include squaring off on someone who mouths off.

Protecting teammates is one thing.

Maiming opponents is another.

Hockey has something that most other sports can't match. Baseball can't compete with the speed.

Yes, a fight may rile up the fans, but where is the benefit?

If the NHL steps up and institutes tough penalties and policies, not only will more fans be drawn, but the major stars in hockey will be able to prolong their careers.

The cases of players acting cheaply have injured the stars and kept them out of the national spotlight where they could have shined.

Early this season, Mike Modano of the Dallas Stars was checked into the boards cleanly and fell to the ice. While getting back up, he was at the end of a brutal hit that gave him a concussion, forced him to be helped off the ice and left him off the team for a few weeks.

Fans who are not supporters of the Stars probably would say he got what he deserved, but these kinds of hits transcend fan rivalries.

Last season, Dallas' Derian Hatcher took the liberty of removing Roenick from the playoffs by breaking his jaw in the last week of the season. It was a retaliatory hit on one Roenick made earlier in the season.

Of course, Roenick is not exactly the poster boy for clean play.

Angry after a fight with a family member, he took issue with something his former high school teammate Tony Amonte said and gave him a shot to the face requiring 13 stitches.

Step up to the plate National Hockey League. Stars like Modano are rare in their gift for the game, and they must be protected against dirty hits.

Keep the stars around and the fans will be privileged to great hockey.

And come back for more, which is what the NHL - of bad TV ratings and little publicity - needs more than anything.