A low-down, dirty shame. (Insider: NHL).

When terms such as mutual respect, ethical code and honor are used in the context of hockey, the casual fan usually laughs sarcastically, while "hockey people" shake their heads, knowing that most just don't get it.

The unwritten rules: Don't mess with the goalie. Don't keep punching when the guy you're fighting goes down. Fighters don't go after non-fighters. And so on.

However, it's increasingly more difficult to respect hockey and take the code's existence seriously--if the code still exists.

"In the last five or six years, there's no more respect," says Joe Yannetti, the Blackhawks' director of professional scouting. "They just run each ...