This is something that should really be done away with for regular season games in HS hockey. I played both high school and college, and more ridiculous stuff happens in those lines at center ice than you would believe. I know it's a sportsmanship thing and tradition, but it's a recipe for disaster. I'll never forget as a sophomore in HS playing JV having a post game center ice handshake brawl with Abington. The next practice we had the varsity coach showed up (for 6 AM practice at an outdoor rink, no less) and skated us for 90 straight minutes - no sticks, no pucks, just skating. Said he didn't care what level players we were, we were going to play with class and grace and represent the school as ambassadors. That put an end to the post game handshake brawls for the entire program at any level for years to come.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Matt Sacks,

From a player's standpoint the only benefit I see is that I get to shake the other coaches hand. I've had some coaches say some positive things to me after games, which I really appreciated. I think a better idea than to scrap a post game handshake would be leave it up to the refs. Assume there will be a handshake, but if the refs feel there might be an altercation, send both teams to the locker rooms.

There is no plausable excuse for players who fail to control their behavior in a handshake line. Off the ice, you can't wack someone as you walk by them, you can't say something disrepectful either. It's no different on the ice after a hockey game. A good coach is able to correct the behavior or remove the offending player from the line-up. Why should hundreds of players in the league be denied a traditional moment of sportsmanship and humility? All evidence suggests that the overwhelming majority of players manage this postgame ritual with out any issues. I think it is an important tradition that demonstrates respect to the other team. In the aftermath the of a hard fought physical game, it reinforces the obvious -- that you leave hard feelings behind, and move on to your next game -- win, lose or draw.

Several years ago my son's team went to Canada and played several teams. It wasn't a tournament, just something his coach planned for a trip. We played local "in-house" teams. The thing that struck me was that the teams shook hands BEFORE the game. I think that would be an excellent tradition to follow. Before the game no one is mad at anyone or trying to get even with anyone. When the game was over the teams went their separate ways.

I agree I think shaking hands before the game would not be a bad idea. Although I think that since these kids are now in high school and most seniors will be out in the real world next year where they will not be able to just 'drop the gloves' with a co-worker that they do not get along with, that they should be able to act in a mature manner. It is all about maturity. If you cannot act with class after a game that you have been defeated in then you should not be playing hockey. Look we all know that the age of 13-18 is prime time for tempers to flare but keeping your emmotions in check goes a long way. Not to mention a hand shake before the game is some good time to get the 'trash talking' started a bit early. Majority of frustration can be kept under control by coaches. I know some schools take disciplinary action against student-athlete's that act up during contests.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Matt Sacks,

I understand the sportsmanship angle, and the fact that coaches should be able to control their teams through a handshake line. The point of the original post is that it doesn't always happen, and doing away with the ritual would eliminate the potential for disaster, as is bound to happen more than a couple times a year. There's been a couple handshake line incidents already this season - are we to think that the coaches of those respective programs are not able to control their players? Or is it a random rogue player who is initiating the incident? Either way, eliminating the hand shake after the game eliminates the opportunity of a problem. Keep the handshake for play-offs and Flyers Cup games, leave it out for regular season match-ups.

Why the double standard of having handshakes in the playoffs but not the regular season?

What's the logic behind that?

quote:

Originally posted by plym_20:
I understand the sportsmanship angle, and the fact that coaches should be able to control their teams through a handshake line. The point of the original post is that it doesn't always happen, and doing away with the ritual would eliminate the potential for disaster, as is bound to happen more than a couple times a year. There's been a couple handshake line incidents already this season - are we to think that the coaches of those respective programs are not able to control their players? Or is it a random rogue player who is initiating the incident? Either way, eliminating the hand shake after the game eliminates the opportunity of a problem. Keep the handshake for play-offs and Flyers Cup games, leave it out for regular season match-ups.

Actually the fact is that the players should control themselves. If not, then maybe your coach had it right when he skated you for not being man enough to shake hands and congratulate an opponent on a hard fought game. There is NO reason to do anything but shake hands. One of the classiest things I ever saw was when we beat Bishop McCort for the state title in 2005. We shook hands and lined up for the medal ceremony. After every one of their players got their medal they skated to our blue line and went down the line and shook every players hand again. We immediately had our players reciprocate and insist on doing the same thing in similar situations all the time. It's totally about sportsmanship and not petty retaliations.

I saw the kids from Freeport do the same thing last year when they lost to Henderson.

There is absolutely NO excuse for being anything but respectful in the line. The coaches should impose a severe penalty on any player that uses this as an opportunity to start a fight.

The logic behind play-off and flyers cup handshakes is that there is a greater degree of respect in those games versus a regular season game. Play-off and flyers cup games are much better disciplined as a rule without a lot of extracurricular stuff. Regular season games have a greater tendency to get out of hand, whether that be for competitive (one team more skilled than the other) or other reasons.

have seen post game handshakes go both ways. here is where you are most likely to see the character of the coach , kids and program be revealed. tonight malvern lasalle game was a great example. tough game , competitive, but in the end the boys shook hands and then small groups of boys stayed together on the ice for an additional 5 minutes swapping stories. it spoke well of both teams.

I agree with tonight's display. then again, La Salle and Malvern are two storied teams that you can tell respect each other. I thought both teams were chippy at times tonight, but in the ned these are all high level players who see each other through both club and school hockey and more than likely know each other pretty well. This is also the top tier of AAA. I think the hand shake and discipline problems, on a general basis, would happen at lower levels.

Handshake should stay, my son loves talking to his old teammates during hand shake after a hard fought game.