Is nothing sacred?

I just realized yesterday, for instance, that the best name in all of minor hockey — maybe all of sport, period — is no more. The Macon (Ga.) Whoopee is now the Macon Trax. Pity.

Maybe these really are kinder, gentler, more politically correct, less sexist times. The evidence on that front definitely is mixed, though. Does anyone, for instance, really think that keeping Janet Jackson abreast of the times wasn't pre-planned? Was it, culturally speaking, a giant step forward, or backward? Sideways?

Change, we are told, is a good thing. But I wonder. Does baseball really have to forgive Pete Rose just because he finally confesses to (some of the) things he spent years denying?

If Lenny Wilkens can get another job coaching in the NBA and the Argos can get legitimate ownership again, anything's possible.

But Tie Domi wearing a shield? Did you ever even dream you'd see the day?

The sight of Tie Domi wearing a visor against Ottawa sent some fans into shock. "Everything Domi has accomplished...has just been flushed down the (expletive deleted) toilet," one said.

It may well turn out to be just that — one day, one game, we'll see tonight against Chicago — but still ... as much as the long-time enforcer showing up with a half-shield Saturday night was a shock to the system for Maple Leaf fans, it was a butt-end to the nether regions for those who view him as an icon in the art and science of on-ice pugilism.

As much as many people disapprove of fighting in hockey, many others not only endorse the practice, they celebrate it. As much as some critics would like to see fighting banned outright, others spend serious money on every available video. They keep scores and standings and endlessly debate the best, and worst, of this cartoonish world of theirs.

Of course, the NHL also endorses fighting. Rare is the scrap that doesn't wind up on the nightly TV highlights ahead of just about any other on-ice feat. Tough guys like Domi wearing visors blurs all sorts of lines and violates all sorts of unwritten codes. Bare knuckles go with bare faces.

The Web geeks (okay, devoted fight fans) greeted his half-shielded appearance on the ACC ice with the same reaction you'd expect if hell froze over and the angels descended to use the resulting surface for a game of pond hockey.

Here's a typical reaction from one of the sites: "Well, everything Domi has accomplished in his great career, every win, every fight, every PIM, his incredible card, his win over Brash (arch-rival Donald Brashear of the Philadelphia Flyers) has just been flushed down the (expletive deleted) toilet."

But many were very understanding of Domi's apparent dilemma, too. It's the smartest, maybe the bravest, thing Domi has done on the ice in years.

"I think we will have to get used to it," said another posting. "In a couple of years all players will be wearing shields. As for fighting? I think we are going to have to adapt to this new NHL since it is all we have. I just wish I had more access to the minor leagues and juniors (especially the QMJHL) where fighting still exists on a full-time basis."

What's the problem, many said, if Domi doffs the shield when he fights, as he did against Ottawa Saturday? Isn't he still observing the sacred macho code, while also using his common sense?

In terms of total fighting majors, Domi has 12 this season, tying him with several others for seventh most in the NHL, behind leader Krzysztof Oliwa, the Polish-born Calgary Flame, with 23.

"Regardless if other teams agree or disagree with his visor, Domi is going to take (shots) from the other tough guys in the league," was the way one fight fan summed it all up yesterday. "Hell, if it means that he is going to fight more just to prove that he is still tough, then I say Domi should wear it the rest of the year."

That's called finding the silver lining inside every piece of crucial safety equipment.