Homer: Lisa, if the Bible has taught us nothing else — and it hasn’t — it’s that girls should stick to girls’ sports, such as hot-oil wrestling, foxy boxing, and such-and-such.

Marge: I think women should be able to play any sport men play, but hockey is so violent and dangerous — look at Milhouse’s teeth.[opens her hand]

Bart: Mom, will you stop showing us those?

– The Simpsons, Lisa on Ice

I went to see the Giants play in Belfast on Friday night. This was the first time I had ever seen an ice hockey match. Belfast has only acquired a team in the last few years and the only sport I watch on TV is Formula 1 (which is Tony’s fault). Marc had metioned to me that these could be quite violent but I must admit that I didn’t expect the players to stop playing and start fighting in the middle of the game. Nor was I expecting one of the players to smash up his hockey stick when he got sent off for trying to smash up one of the other players. And to add to my disbelief when two of the players started to fight the crowd stood up and cheered and the referees stood back and watched. All in all it was a strange experience.