Picking a fight

Gassoff believes that fighting is a necessary evil

Bob Gassoff has a reputation as a physical player, or - in plain English - as the type of guy that would rip your head off if you took a cheap shot at one of his 26 Michigan hockey teammates.

But the NCAA thinks differently.

In college hockey, physical play is a little different than that of the juniors and professional ranks.

There's one little element that helps make the college game different: fighting.

DAVID ROCHKIND/Daily Bob Gassoff is a strong proponent of the NCAA giving fighting a fighting chance.

Due to harsh NCAA penalties, you won't find much brawling from Michigan hockey players, because the only barbaric pastime that occurs at Yost Ice Arena is the cutting in line at the concession stands.

The lack of aggressiveness can make players like Gassoff feel a little out of their territory.

"In juniors I fought all the time," Gassoff said. "That's my type of game - that's the way I always played."

Tough bruisers coming from the junior leagues sometimes find themselves held back in college hockey, creating a fightless gap between juniors and the pros.

And Gassoff, a strong proponent for the return of physical battles, has strong feelings on the subject.

"I can see what they're trying to do in college by taking the violence out, but it's part of the game and it's never going to go away," Gassoff said.

The sophomore's problem not only covers the gap between juniors and the pros, but the fact that in college, referees are supposed to protect the players from the rink bullies.

Gassoff believes that fighting is a necessary evil to protect star players who sometimes get attacked endlessly.

This seems to be especially true for players like Michigan centers Mike Comrie and Mark Kosick, who aren't exactly the biggest players on the line chart. The duo often takes a lot of abuse from opposing defenders. But Gassoff says if college hockey allowed fighting, brutalizers would receive more than just a simple penalty.

"Guys are going to take cheap shots, and sure they'll get a penalty, but who cares, you just go sit in the box," Gassoff said. "Guys (in college hockey) aren't really held accountable for their actions, whereas in juniors and the pros, guys are held accountable amongst each other, not just the officials.

"If a guy takes a cheap shot, he's got to know that he is going to pay the price."

One of the biggest deterrents to any sort of fighting in college hockey, other than facing a suspension, is the face mask.

With sturdy bars protecting players' faces, only Beavis or Butthead would throw a punch at an opposing defender's head.

Built as a protective measure, the iron masks sometimes cause even more problems than they try to solve.

"I don't like the face masks, I think they are a deterrent to the quality of hockey," Berenson said. "I think players would play more aggressive without face masks and there would actually be less injuries."

Berenson also agrees that fighting keeps players honest and deters them from abusing other players.

"In college hockey, you have the of a face mask," Berenson said. "You could have a guy three feet tall can be the toughest-roughest player in the game and yet he's taking liberties, he can't back up. You rely on the referee to protect all your players."

Berenson also added that while he can't advocate fighting as a whole in college hockey, getting rid of the face masks would be a good start.

"I would take the face masks away," Berenson said. "The game would not be as rough and not as chippy."

While it looks like fighting won't be the main event at a college ice rink near you, any future antagonizers should beware, because as soon as fighting becomes legal again, Gassoff says he will be on the prowl.

"I'll be ready after college to go back to my old routine, when the time comes when I need to protect one of my guys," Gassoff said. "If I have to sit out for a few games, well I'll do that too. That's just the way I play."

Apology: The Michigan Daily apologizes to senior captain Bubba Berenzweig. The story "Put in on the Net", originally printed on Dec. 8th of last year contained a quote that may have been misconstrued. We apologize to Berenzweig, and hope that no personal harm came from it.

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