I think there is some naivety here by the comments on the last couple of pages. Bob McKenzie mentioned this years back, but it is a quote I agree with him and it's that hockey is the modern-day version of gladiators. You can protect the players so much, but players will get hurt with hits and just the physical demands of the sport. I would cater for the side of waivers where the players know what they are getting themselves into. Just like people who go to that stupid Burning Man thing know what they're getting themselves into as well.
When I was doing health research for sports (specifically in concussions), I came across a prior article - but still relevant - which showed the types of injuries each sport played, both females and males. Hockey wasn't actually in the top 3-5 of any sport when it came to total or types of injuries, which you get more from the likes of futball, throwball, rugby, and basketball. The outliner on hockey in regards to injuries was concussion rates, which was top 3 along with throwball and I believe boxing/MMA. The data had some other interesting elements, girls' volleyball was just as prone to sustaining concussions compared to men playing hockey. You can potentially get injured in worse ways playing hockey compared to others, no doubt about that, but if we're at the point where girls' volleyball is "deemed" dangerous by Gen Z philosophers, then we should just stop sports altogether.
I do think fighting can impact lives negatively like shortening lives or causing personality changes which I truly believe is what happened to Antonio Brown (in his case, multiple concussion history). The problem though is that MMA, Boxing, and other martial arts are just as popular as ever before and continue to increase worldwide. These would have to stop existing before looking at hockey and whining about violence. We've had some ugly moments in the NHL when it comes to blades and hockey sticks, but fortunately, it is more of a fluke once-in-a-generation or lifetime moment and not the norm. In MMA, you can beat on a person untold amount until the ref steps in. Honestly, just look at human history. Look at the requirements of what you had to do to be a Spartan. Look at the sports that were in the first couple of Greek Olympics. Look at ancient Aztecs where they played that ancient basketball/futball sport with rubber balls and the losers were sacrificed to the gods (lol). Violence has been around since the dawn of civilisation, especially in sport mode. Arguing against it is like arguing against your existence of being a human. If somebody comes and starts beating you, you're going to fight back.
Now, there are ways to make something safer, in the case of Hartman, you had to suspend his arse for like two weeks and players wouldn't do the retaliation stuff, but I understand there is a rule that prevents them to do so. The best aspect to accept the beautiful violence of the sport, but to stop the side stuff is to have a very over-the-top controlling department of players' safety. Since hockey does not have that with Parros at the helm, you're going to get things like this nature. Remember, sports devolves humanity back to tribalism, it is your team versus mine and I hope nothing but failure for your team sort of mentality. Hockey can take it another notch because it allows physicality in the game, that is part of its DNA and what makes it also amazing.
E: I like women's hockey, there is also fighting in women's hockey whose entire existence has been non-contact.
