The early days of hockey was quite ugly/barbaric as well and some actually died on the ice or due to an activity/incident on the ice.
Violence has been a part of ice hockey since at least the early 1900s. According to the book Hockey: A People's History, in 1904 alone, four players were killed during hockey games from the frequent brawls and violent stickwork.[1]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violence_in_ice_hockey