Hockey's handshake line rings false for some
Hockey fans praise players at the end of the game for carrying on the tradition of the handshake line, a gentlemanly conclusion to a game that at times can be violent and full of enmity.
But a recent editorial by Chris Chase of For The Win argued that hockey needs to get rid of the outdated tradition or at least acknowledge the handshake line's hypocrisy.
"The NHL refuses to get rid of fighting, yet believes a 45-second gesture 15 times a year is enough to wipe away the grime of months of dirty play," Chase wrote. "The line is something that’s championed by fans of the line. They enjoy how the handshake line shows that, deep down, hockey is a gentleman’s game that happens to be played by guys who deliver cheap shots and curse at each other as they crouch for every face off."
Of course, fans often have no idea what is said in the handshake line. Last May, Bruin Milan Lucic came under fire after TSN revealed Lucic told Montreal's Dale Weise "I'm going to [expletive] kill you next year" while shaking Weise's hand. So while the handshake line's appearance might be classy, the actual action might not always share that trait.
"Why is being essentially forced to shake hands more noble than Peyton Manning walking off the field without congratulating Drew Brees after losing the Super Bowl?" Chase asked in his editorial."What’s the point of a trivial handshake if there’s no meaning behind it? This is forced sportsmanship and you can’t force something that needs to be genuine. Why is being essentially forced to shake hands more noble than Peyton Manning walking off the field without congratulating Drew Brees after losing the Super Bowl? What’s the point of a trivial handshake if there’s no meaning behind it?
"This is forced sportsmanship and you can’t force something that needs to be genuine. If you want to shake hands, do it. If you don’t, don’t. This is America, where people are free to do what they want. And if it that involves skating off the ice after losing a heartbreaking Game 7 without giving a fake 'good job, bro' to the guy who slammed you unnecessarily hard against the boards three minutes before, then so be it."
(h/t For The Win)
