Can anybody truly say they thrive as the target of social and physical hostility? In any of lifes myriad endeavours, competitive or otherwise, success is usually achieved in spite of hostility, not because of it.So the logic goes in much of Australian cricket. While the battle is officially between bat and ball, there is an unofficial social dimension to combat too. And while we only whispered it softly last week, our time-honoured tradition of creating cold, hostile atmospheres for batsmen is otherwise a matter of chest-thumping pride. A welcome batsman is a sleeping batsman, because that scenario is the stuff of dreams.In a week where public introspection threatened but never quite manifested, it wasnt just at home that our cricketing philosophy was under the microscope. Earlier in the week, Kepler Wessels, the former South Africa captain who also played for Australia, derided the embarrassing and totally ineffective sledging of the Australian players as they eventually slumped to a 5-0 whitewash against South Africa.Speaking on the same issue 24 hours later, in-vogue Australian batting coach Trent Woodhill said, We need to get away from this mentality of weve all played the game, youve got to be tougher, youve got to be harder, youve got be noisier, youve got to be louder, because its basically bullshit.In an increasingly saturated game, where contests feel automated and matches blend into one another, Woodhills point, sacrilegious as it is, has the ring of truth. But can Australians divorce themselves from their deep-seated cultural attachment to noise and hardness?Perhaps more important is whether wed even be willing to. Hostility is celebrated in our cricketing culture, and those who can demonstrate it best are revered for it, in the main. The views of Wessels and Woodhill swim against an Australian tide that protects the divine right to intimidate like fanatical Americans do their guns. Its who we are, weve always been this way, and were proud of it. Despite Woodhills argument that its not even advantageous to winning, one feels that any attempt to change those attitudes would be regarded as soft, and as a result, unthinkable.If we were willing to engage in some introspection, our view of bouncers may be a good place to start. Lets be honest about them: beyond the odd occasion where they are legitimately deployed as a defensive tactic against rampant batsmen, bouncers in cricket are like fights in footy. For most, there is a visceral pleasure in watching seasoned athletes put every part of their bodies at risk for sporting success. Or when it comes to fights, some kind of masculine honour. We know its wrong but it feels so right.Australians watched Mitchell Johnson against England in 2013 with an almost primal satisfaction. The blood-curdling fear of the English batsmen released a spiritual type of pleasure, because this was as Aussie as Aussie could get. But its worth asking: are there any other ball sports that legally permit opposition engagement with the head? Even in that sport notorious for attacking the head, rugby league, the laws at least attempt to prevent it.To ask questions of our relationship to hostile cricket isnt to call for radical change, if any. But our automatic dismissal of the mere possibility that there might be something to learn from this weeks conversations, both home and abroad, says more about us than the event itself.The cricket world watched as the NSW Coroners Court held an inquest into Phillip Hughes death. Concerned about unfair blame and the creation of witch hunts, the Australian public rallied behind the players involved, understandably so. While the court pondered the events of the day, the court of public opinion reached its decision quickly and emphatically: This was a freak accident. No one is to blame. Sledging and intimidation are part of the game. Only harm can come from this, we chorused.While there may be something darkly instructive about the certitude of our response, it is - more than anything - a raw expression of sympathy for the players involved. But there were some uncomfortable truths at play too, and the almost knee-jerk refusal to engage in collective reflection about what happened on the field that day is revealing.Because if ever there was an event significant enough to warrant simple introspection about the way we play cricket in Australia, then surely this was it.Of course, nobody wanted what happened at the SCG to happen, and blame is not the point; thats undisputed. But there is a sense that we have missed an opportunity to think with some depth about the impact of Hughes death on our cricketing philosophy.Because while the inquest was importantly about a young mans life and the moments before and after the incident, the examination may have initiated important contemplation about the game more broadly. The main questions may have become: How important is hostile cricket to us? How proud of our intimidatory approach should we really be?If, like most, your conclusion is very, then thats fine. 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WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- The good news is somebody is going to win Sunday afternoons game between the Colorado Avalanche and the Winnipeg Jets at the MTS Centre.The bad news is the contest features two of the coldest teams in the NHL.The Avalanche come to town having lost nine of their last 11 games, including a 10-1 debacle against the Montreal Canadiens a week ago.The Jets arent much better, having lost four straight until a 4-3 shootout victory over Florida on Thursday.Getting out of the Pepsi Center may be just what the doctor ordered for the Avalanche, who own the leagues worst home record of 4-10-1. The teams power play has hardly been firing on all cylinders, not only going 0-for-6 in Fridays 3-1 loss to the Panthers, but also giving up the game-winning short-handed goal.Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog told the Denver Post that losing that way after entering the third period at home in a tie game was inexcusable.You cant go out and get power-plays and have them score short-handed, Landeskog said. I honestly do not know what to tell you guys, other than thats not the way we want to do it. Thats not the way its supposed to be done and thats not acceptable, bottom line.The Jets special teams havent been lighting it up either. They gave up three power-play goals in the second period against Florida -- all with defenseman Tobias Enstrom in the penalty box with a trio of separate infractions -- dropping them to 28th in the league. The Jets have given up at least one power-play goal in four sttraight games.dddddddddddd On the flipside, their own power play has fizzled over the past five games, going an anemic 1-for-14.At this point, confidence is pretty low (with the power play), Jets captain Blake Wheeler told the Winnipeg Free Press. So, its something youve gotta work for. The power play is supposed to be your best players on the ice, on the penalty kill youre trying to shut down their top guys. Its not really rocket science. Weve got to find a way to build that confidence and get into a rhythm. It doesnt really seem like theres much of a plan right now.Part of the problem is opposing teams have figured out the Jets power play goes through super rookie Patrik Laine, who has seven goals with the man advantage this year. Foes usually station a defender within a sticks length of Laine.The good news for the Jets is they have completed the most grueling stretch of their season in November and early December, during which they had played the most games of any team. Winnnipeg is finally getting a bit of a breather from the schedule-maker.The Jets come into Sundays game rested and in good spirits, having taken part in their annual skills competition on Friday.Winnipeg native Calvin Pickard will start against his hometown team for the second time in his career but just the first time at the MTS Centre. He beat the Jets 4-3 in a shootout two years ago this week. ' ' '