Ice Guardians

Really a solid look into fighting in hockey, the role of the enforcer and concussion related injuries in hockey in particular but in sport in general also. Some of these guys just deserved the acknowledgment for what they brought to the game for the last 30 or 40 years. Great interviews with some great former hockey players and insight into how they saw the game, the direction it is headed and what are the things that need addressing going forward.

This is the only movie, show, or documentary that I have ever rated a 10/10. It was amazing! Enforcers have done more to protect players than any rule ever has. This documentary does a great job of explaining the fighting aspect of the game and those who do the dirty work. It also clears up a lot of misconceptions that people and the media have on the subject.

This film is a must watch for any hockey fan and indeed great viewing for any sports fan in general An amazing insight into the life of a professional hockey player, specifically looking at the role of the enforcer. It is cut together very well, it grips you to the point of not being able to look away in fear of missing something. The players them selves are captivating and the various experts add levels of depth. This includes Dr Victoria Silverwood, who adds her views following her PhD study entitled "Five for Fighting: The Culture and Practice of Violence in Professional Ice Hockey".

I cannot wait to watch it again, as I have a firm feeling that I will "see" other things that I missed the first time around.

I thought the preview was better than the actual film. The documentary lacks any narration and ends up being an endless stream of clips from interviews with tough guys (oh and Jay Baruchel has a lot to say though I have no idea what makes him an authority on the subject). The story drags on far too long (this could/should be a one hour film!) and the constant footage of fights gets a bit tiresome, if not gruesome, over time. I played hockey my whole life and still struggle with the role of fighting in the game. I was looking for some stimulative thought in this contentious issue but didn't get any from this film. It is very biased, effectively glorifying the enforcers of the game (albeit in a rather covert way). I didnt watch a film on fighters without expecting to see some good fights, but at the end of the day this film lacked any balance or thought provoking ideas about the issue. Just more of a celebration of violence and a subtle resentment of how the game has changed over time.

This seemed to be propelled along with the adrenaline of the fights featured in the documentary. It gave a really great overview of the enforcer role and the place of hockey fights in the sport; right from their origins to their present day decline.

I'm someone who only recently developed a love for the sport during my time living in Canada. One of the first things I found appealing and unique to hockey were the fights. How the entire game would stop as the fighters took center stage was something I found incredibly fascinating and entertaining!

'Ice Guardians' definitely gave me the hockey-fight-fix I'd been craving lately. As a documentary, I preferred "The Last Gladiators" though, which also features the role of hockey enforcer, perhaps from a more classic era. This one seemed to have a big focus on "modern day" enforcers/fighters, with not every 'segment' being as appealing as the other. The different segments seemed a little disjointed at times, interrupting the flow the film. It was also a bit overlong.

Parts of the documentary I found the most interesting were the unspoken "etiquette" of the fights ("Hey, if I don't fight you, I might get dropped for the next game." "Sure, okay, I'll help you out.") and the players' emotions when seriously hurting opponents. The concussion element was also intriguing, with 95% of hockey concussions coming from play and not fights themselves. It's that statistic that will stay with me and hopefully prove that hockey fights are here to stay!