Fighting has to go

[Sheppy]

It's only a matter of time. 15-20 years from now it will be completely eliminated from the game. And fans will think, "they actually let them punch each other in the head repeatedly and only got a 5 min. penalty??"

It's already disappearing, mostly organically. Goons are by and large gone, especially in the playoffs (where fighting is pretty much non-existent).

Game misconducts for fighting are coming. As are full face shields.

And this is where they'll probably lose me as a fan, and it's not because of the violence aspect, but because the game would be an absolute crap show.

 

[EazyE1]

The slippery slope argument is the most deeply unserious, meaningless mush people put out there. Just admit you don't like change and be done with it instead of creating fictional strawmen to be angry at.

You can be for or against fighting, but one's stance on that issue is completely unconnected to...bowling shoes...good lord the scenarios people invent to get mad at.

i wasnt making that bowling analogy for serious, just stating the things that some people in society get mad about that is completely silly

 

[Mickey Marner]

I don't have any issue if two consenting adults want to have a fight. If the players want to get rid of it, then they'll get rid of it.

 

[Atoyot]

Hot dogs and nachos at the concession stand could be detrimental to your health. BANNED AND ILLEGAL

Keep doubling down on stupid I guess.

 

[Jag68Sid87]

The only thing I will disagree with the OP is that it does not change the sport. It already has changed the sport, massively.

Fighting is ugly. But there was a whole underbelly of things that fighting (and fighters) brought to the sport which made the sport a lot more entertaining and better overall, in my humble opinion.

Playing in the NHL today is a lot easier than it used to be, mainly because nobody intimidates anyone anymore.

Defense (five-man units) has basically replaced intimidation now as a main focus. That does not make the sport more entertaining. Safer, yes. Not more entertaining.

IMO.

 

[North Cole]

Saw Ryan Reaves blow out his knee on an innocuous play that happens a dozen times a game. They should probably ban all contact whatsoever. Same logic.

Seems there have been people that died of choking on their food, guess we should all stop eating. Boggles my mind how these awful strawmen get likes. Not the same logic at all.

I guess they are just copying all the Neanderthals at boxing matches and MMA matches around the world?!? This guy...

Another strawman. Those sports are designed around fighting, hockey isn't.

The slippery slope argument is the most deeply unserious, meaningless mush people put out there. Just admit you don't like change and be done with it instead of creating fictional strawmen to be angry at.

You can be for or against fighting, but one's stance on that issue is completely unconnected to...bowling shoes...good lord the scenarios people invent to get mad at.

It's when you know you can just stop taking those people seriously. They have to climb the ladder of ridiculous scenarios because they have no real argument. These threads get covered in BS about "Let's remove hitting then!", as if it's somehow similar.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

Maybe so. But the odds of ‘shit happening’ can be greatly reduced with specific changes. Its called evolving.

I’m sure they said the exact same thing regarding car crashes. And then someone invented the seatbelt, and eventually they made them mandatory in vehicles, until one day they actually made it illegal to drive without one. In turn greatly limiting the potential of ‘shit happening’.

Now imagine how many more people would have died having your line of reasoning and sticking with the status quo……

not comparable, there are hundreds, if not thousands of vehicles on the road at any given time, all of them pushing 2000 pounds, going anywhere from 80-100+ km an hour they are essentially mini rockets on wheels.

VS 12 players on the ice at any given time time (If you include goalies.)

they can't go as fast or hit as hard.

Should we ban skating because Corey Perry threw an MMA style flying knee at John Tavares face? because that happened and I promise you it's going to happen again at some point.

Should we ban hitting because Naze, Kadri is an idiot that has cost his team, not 1, not 2, but 3 playoff series? and is in all lIkelihood going to do it again because that's what he does.

 

[KidLine93]

If the players want it out it will be gone. It is scary seeing a guy hit his head on the ice though. But then again its scary seeing a guy drop to block a shot and getting caught in the neck/face area as well. Right now its a part of the game and is slowly becoming less common anyways. Personally I like a fight if theres a reason/ emotion there. I couldn't care less about the staged fights for depth guys to just try and get their name on the game sheet.

 

[ottawa]

Sure, I don't disagree.

However it's hilarious when the anti-fighting gang come marching in telling people who are fine with how the game is to watch something else because they don't particularly like fighting.

There are far fewer people telling people to go watch MMA than people telling the anti-fight crew to go watch curling or badminton, do you find that hilarious too?

 

[Vukotal Recall]

I grew watching the NHL starting in the '70s, and I've always been against fighting in hockey, though it's always been a guilty pleasure. But after I had kids and I saw how many of their peers were little shits and wondered what broad currents in society were exacerbating this, I truly realized the utter horrible absurdity of having impressionable young kids bathe in the glory of men beating the shit out of someone to resolve a dispute, or who annoyed you slightly. It's gross and pathetic.

 

[llwyd]

It will go, eventually. Year by year the attitudes will continue slowly shifting as the older generations, well, leave the scene. And once the deed is done, people will be kind of bewildered that the world didn't end and that hockey remains pretty much the same, and the whole issue will just quickly fade away. I would say maybe within 10-15 years, if even that.

 

[CycloneSweep]

It's not about need. Hockey is simply more entertaining with fighting than without it. Guys are aware of the risks and aren't forced to fight generally. Simple as that. Figure skating will proceed unimpeded for those who don't want to watch one of the very few outlets for violence in our bubble wrapped, safety-obsessed culture.

There are entire sports that revolve around guys literally beating the ever loving shit out of each other. If you are so obsessed with violence there is plenty of outlets for that.

 

[Sheppy]

There are far fewer people telling people to go watch MMA than people telling the anti-fight crew to go watch curling or badminton, do you find that hilarious too?

There's hilarious extremes on both sides, honestly.

 

[TopC0rner]

The true answer is that fights should be stopped as soon as one of the players loses his helmet.

 

[MMANumminen]

I want more fights, not less

 

[Sheppy]

One thing I've truly noticed at games is when there's a fight, fans tend to get up and head for the exits instead of yell and cheer.

 

[Suntouchable13]

The day fighting leaves the game (its coming) will be a sad and dark day in hockey history...a very dark day indeed...

What are you talking about? There is no fighting in the Olympics, but yet everyone goes goo goo gaga over Olympic games and want to see best-on-best tournament. I couldn't care less about fighting. If 2 grown men want to fight, let them. But to say that it will be a sad day if fighting leave the game is quite absurd.

 

[Hanji]

Unlike boxing or MMA, hockey fighting is garbage. It's just a bunch of dudes throwing haymakers at eachother. So talentless and stupid. Might as well hang out at your local bar and wait for a fight to break out if you want 'intensity' too; because that's what hockey fighting resembles.

It'll eventually die out, but in the meantime our game's fanbase will continue to reflect the two guy below relative to other sports fanbases. "They're dropping the gloves, huh huh huh huh huh huh!!!"

 

[Sheppy]

What are you talking about? There is no fighting in the Olympics, but yet everyone goes goo goo gaga over Olympic games and want to see best-on-best tournament. I couldn't care less about fighting. If 2 grown men want to fight, let them. But to say that it will be a sad day if fighting leave the game is quite absurd.

Do you think it will gain new fans or lose fans? I'm genuinely curious.

 

[Martin Skoula]

There are far fewer people telling people to go watch MMA than people telling the anti-fight crew to go watch curling or badminton, do you find that hilarious too?

Only one of the sides is demanding changes to the the NHL to suit their individual preferences.

 

[Sheppy]

Unlike boxing or MMA, hockey fighting is garbage. It's just a bunch of dudes throwing haymakers at eachother. So talentless and stupid. Might as well hang out at your local bar and wait for a fight to break out if you want 'intensity' too.

It'll eventually die out, but in the meantime our game's fanbase will continue to reflect the two dudes below relative to other sports fanbases

What an absolutely stupid thing to say.

 

[Pookie]

I’d take a different angle in this fighting debate.

Have the size of the players made fighting a more dangerous part of the game?

Medical records would be hard to evaluate as concussion protocols have changed.

But we do know a few things:

- the average weight of a player from the start of the NHL through 1950’s stayed pretty consistent at about 175lbs

- today the average player weight is over 205lbs.

- (not so) coincidentally, the most gains in weight have been over the years where sport in general has been plague with steroid and growth hormone use.

- the NHL, didn’t have a drug policy for a long time. And the one it has now does not test for growth hormone and is full of loopholes.​

While the average height and weight in the general population has gone up too, the gains in hockey are startling.

Consider that for a Boxer to be classed as “Super Heavyweight” they need to tip the scales at +201 pounds.

The AVERAGE NHL player would be considered a Super Heavy Weight by Professional Boxing Standards.

And some of the “enforcers” weigh in at +260.

It’s very likely that fighting today is much more dangerous now that it was based on the NHL’s own negligence.

I like a tough team. I like a fight.

Got to wonder though is it medically responsible to continue to allow it

 

[Crossfire Hurricane]

What are you talking about? There is no fighting in the Olympics, but yet everyone goes goo goo gaga over Olympic games and want to see best-on-best tournament. I couldn't care less about fighting. If 2 grown men want to fight, let them. But to say that it will be a sad day if fighting leave the game is quite absurd.

The median team had 12 fights in 56 games last year. If someone is watching a sport because every 4-5 games two guys throw 5 punches each (and miss 4 of them) before grapping and hitting the ice, maybe they should really think about how much they like hockey.

 

[mriswith]

They can't get rid of fighting because they don't even enforce their own rulebook, so the players have to police themselves.

Once they call every game by the book, and every game the same from preseason to game 7 SCF, and they do this for enough years that it is predictable - then they can talk about removing fighting from the game.

Until then, nope.

 

[Sheppy]

The median team had 12 fights in 56 games last year. If you're watching a sport because every 4-5 games two guys throw 5 punches each (and miss 4 of them) before grapping and hitting the ice, maybe you should really think about how much you like hockey.

See, here's another extreme. Who is watching hockey directly for the fights? - You're legitimately allowed to watch hockey for whatever. Like I said, I enjoy a fast paced 1-0 game, and I enjoy when games get nasty. You're allowed to enjoy both. Just because someone is pro-fighting, doesn't mean they're strictly in it for fights, and fights alone.

Why do I have to evaluate how much I like a sport that has had fighting in it since the beginning?