< Court: Carrying a gun in private yard not illegal | Main | It's not the heat, it's the haboob >

Hockey needs more moms on the ice

Posted at 1:01 PM on June 18, 2012 by Bob Collins (2 Comments)
Filed under: Sports

Maybe what hockey needs is a few more mothers doing the work referees should be doing...

Poor Gina O'Toole, a suburban Boston hockey mom, has taken a lot of heat from the hockey crowd since she went on the ice recently to break up a fight.

Her identity was not made public until today, when she appeared on Good Morning America.

"The ref turned around and he yelled at me and told me to get off the ice and I said, 'You need to do your job,'" she said. "What concerned me was the feeling of the blows to the back of the head and a child going down the ice of maybe a potential head injury."

Can't see the video? Find it here.

Where do kids learn these things?

Comments (2)

The problem of course is that a significant number of NHL fans want - or are OK with - fighting.

Until the behaviour of the role models changes, it will be an uphill battle to change the sport.

Then again, what's that "When the people lead, the leaders will follow" thing again?

Posted by Jim Shapiro | June 18, 2012 2:16 PM

Good for her. My kid doesn't play hockey, but seeing that ref just standing there right next to the fight is infuriating. He can hardly be bothered to blow his whistle.

Posted by Heather | June 18, 2012 2:27 PM