The Aaron Nell Column: Keeping Discipline In Ice Hockey

Swindon Wildcats' head coach Aaron Nell writes exclusively, every week for Total Sport. This week, Nell looks at the fine lines between maintaining discipline in what is one of the most fast-paced and physical sports around.

People who come to watch ice hockey for their first time may be taken aback by just how physical our sport can be. This week I wanted to talk about the element of discipline within our game, and how it can be both maintained and lost.

This theme is quite topical as it happens, as in recent weeks we have been on both ends of disciplinary decisions. A few games ago, our forward Carlo Finucci recieved a match suspension for a disciplinary issue surrounding an official. Then, in quick succession, only two games after this incident, poor Carlo was on the recieving end of a huge check at Peterborough which left him with an injury to the knee. 

Discpline is a big part of ice hockey, and features week-in-week-out without fail. 

As players, we know what is deemed a 'cheap' tackle which looks to hurt people. Good hard checks are great and they've always been part of the game, but when players do things that are cheap, or from behind, or deliberately trying to hurt people, that's when it gets a little out of line. And, in my view, this is where there should be more suspensions.

Some players do go out to hurt other guys at certain points and sometimes the referees and their supporting officials simply do not see it. If a good, clean hockey check goes in and one player gets hurt, then unfortunately that is just part of the game - but both players and fans can see where the line is drawn. 

When there is a bit of afters on the ice, players do look to get even. But in ice hockey this is perhaps much more subtle than other sports. You know who you're up against and, if they have done something cheap to you, you'll get them back. As long as it isn't  dirty, it's part of the game. 

There is a lot of self-policing in ice hockey, though I'd say this has died out quite a lot in the last ten years. But the referees do have a very tough job, so it does still happen in some measures. 

It can be tough to keep your cool. That might seem a little paradoxical considering we play on ice, but this is a sport which can change in a matter of seconds.

Personally, I like to think I'm quite good at keeping my cool. Some people struggle once the red mist descends, as seen a few weeks ago when Carlo had a word with the officials. But that happens and it's all part of our very emotional, fast-tempo game - it happens to everyone at some point.

Sometimes other teams will look to actively target your top players, the imports for example. When that happens, you look to respond fairly but get them back. You don't go out to hurt someone, but if they've got the puck and they're going up the ice you have to let them know you're there.

In general terms, it is very much like this in most sports, I suppose. In football for instance, if someone fouls Lionel Messi for Barcelona, the likelihood is that they're going to get a kick back. It might be subtle, it could be ten minutes later or it could be two games later but it's probably going to happen, and players know that.

When it comes to confrontations though, you never want your imports getting sucked into that kind of stuff. As a head coach I would always want my top guys to avoid that where possible, and concentrate on making their mark with their hockey.

Conversely, the opposing team will always want the imports to get sucked into things, as naturally that distracts their game. If they are able to get one of your imports on a penalty, then they will take two minutes as well as it is a good trade. 

In crucial moments I always try to get my most disciplined guys out on the ice, from a coaching perspective. If it can be done I'll always have Tomasz Malasinski and Jan Kostal out on the ice at the most important times in big games, because I know both how reliable and disciplined they are. 

I'm lucky in that I can trust everyone in the Wildcats team, they're all great lads who will put the team first and try to keep their composure wherever possible.

We're not always angels though, and sometimes you will end up losing players from the ice at pivotal moments. Only a few weeks ago we lost our D-man Neil Liddiard in overtime away to the Hull Pirates - a game which we went on to narrowly lose. 

Lidds is one of our best and most reliable defensive players, but his penalty in that situation shows that anything can happen. He told me immediately afterwards how gutted he was, but it happens and I have absolutely no problem with that.

In that case it wasn't a case of indiscipline, it was just a matter of playing so hard because you're desperate to get the win.

It's always tough when referees give penalties in overtime. Unless you're chopping someones arm off I really think referees should keep their whistles away when it comes to overtime, as it is such a vital point of the game with absolutely no margin for error. 

That said, in all sports there are calls you don't like, a referee's decision is never going to suit everyone. But then again, the refs in our sport are on their skates all the time, officiating at a faster tempo than almost any other sport. They have a lot on their plate and it is certainly something I wouldn't do!

Without them you don't have a game, so there has to be a constant respect there. Discipline will always be a constant feature of ice hockey, but can anyone really imagine our sport without it?