We've all heard the stereotypes commonly associated with hockey: "barbaric", "boxing on ice", "long on blood, short on teeth." And of course there's the always-popular saying, "I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out."

Fighting in hockey is not for entertainment purposes only. Many casual fans and anti-fighting activists don't understand that there is a method to the madness.

For the most part, fighters are in the league to "protect the skill players" ??? pugilists serve to keep the peace. Mind you, with the "new" NHL they've eliminated the role of the "goon", but fighting will never leave the game.

In the 1980s the Gretzky Era hit its stride, and so did fisticuffs. We all know "The Great One" was immensely talented, but at 6'0" and 185 pounds, was also an easy target for bigger, stronger players. His impressive numbers with Edmonton in the 1980s would have been unlikely if not for the protection of less-heralded tough guys like Dave Semenko and Marty McSorley.

Right or wrong, alot coaches would risk having one of their less-talented players take a penalty and a game misconduct to take a run at the other team's star, if it meant knocking the star from the game.

In a perfect world (which is supposedly the "new" NHL), referees would catch all the cheap shots and flagrant fouls, and vigilante justice wouldn't be as necessary. The stark reality is that they can't possibly catch everything. Even if they did, it wouldn't completely put a halt to foul play.

Today, fighting has diminished partly because of the newly implemented instigator rule, which awards an additional two-minute penalty to any player who starts a fight. Two in one game is grounds for ejection. Players are less likely to drop the gloves if it will cause their team to play shorthanded, especially in the all-important playoffs.

Some believe the allowance of fighting in the NHL is strictly financial, and that if fighting were abolished, fans would find the sport less interesting, and ratings would decrease. Well, they're right.

What's your opinion?

but in today modern world of hypocrisy    it is not allowed because someone might get hurt  ,gee they even post RCMP at hockey's games to watch for so call illegal fights 

 

the world is not longer turning round with all those stupid laws  

Hockey is doing great in Canada.  Ratings are fine for Hockey Night in Canada, and CBC's gonna be pissy when they lose the rights to it, which is soon I'm guessing?

The fact is, in the States, to the vast majority they see hockey as something akin to roller derby.  So do I.  It bugs me that we tell our kids it's wrong to fight and we should settle our differences without violence, but we bring them to a Wildcats game and cheer grown men on the ice beating the *** out of each other over a game.  With our kids beside us. 

When women's Olympic hockey is on, I love watching the Canadian women playing because there's almost never any fights and the games go along at a pretty fast clip.  They play the friggin' game.  Men fight all the time and slow it down.  If fighting is "part of the game" then somebody explain to me why it lands guys in the penalty box or game misconducts all the time.

Can't wait to get bashed on from those comments!   

There's an old cliche I'm pretty certain was based on hockey:

"It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye - and then it's a sport!"

Sports in general should be about fun - not winning or losing, but playing the game. Kids in Little League or Minor League or whatever feel such pressure to win instead of just having a fun game that's about exercise, fresh air, and FUN! And they feel the pressure because parents fight to win instead of "playing" or cheer for the players that do.

*climbs down from soapbox and walks slowly away*

so  does everyone here play games for fun  without really wanting to win ?

 

 

notme    i play to win at everything i do ...

anybody else

PLAYING to win is different from FIGHTING to win.

not for me     ....

 

wonder if anybody else is not afraid to admit it

Okay look over the past 10 years ever since the Instigator rule kicked in.. use of the stick fouls are way up- hooking, tripping, high sticking, slashing, butt ending, spearing cross checking.. and why.. cuase the guy doing the stick fouls knows he doesn't have to pay the piper..

I love it wene sweaty men are fighting

i bet u do