Fighting has to go

[Doshell Propivo]

Should we ban hitting too? It's not necessary anymore and players get injured all the time trying to be physical
what about shot-blocking? that's the goalie's job, not the players...no need to risk injury by blocking shots

We should look to eliminate intentional blows to the head.

 

[Sheppy]

We should look to eliminate intentional blows to the head.

Lots of concussions come from whiplash.

 

[CycloneSweep]

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.

They don’t even police themselves. It’s more often then not a plug who is only in the lineup to “enforce” fighting another plug who is in the lineup for the same thing for throwing a dirty hit. There is the occasional “answer the bell” fight but for the most part it’s plugs fighting plugs to “get their teams going”

 

[Koivu11]

The problem is guys wrestling each other to the ice.

I don’t remember seeing these kind of injuries as often in the old days when it was more about throwing punches.

 

[Martin Skoula]

Well yes, that's because one side wants change and the other side wants things to remain the same. No f***ing shit only one side is asking for changes lol...welcome to the thread?

If your neighbour tells you to move somewhere else because he doesn't like how you painted your fence he's a dick. You aren't a dick for telling your neighbour there are other fences he's free to look at instead, you are not demanding other people change to suit your personal preferences.

The players want fighting and the vast majority of fans like fighting as long as it's not minimum wage enforcers forced to choose between concussions and bankruptcy. The vocal minority demanding changes doesn't get to tell those people that this isn't their sport anymore and they need to go watch something else.

 

[FOurteenS inCisOr]

Do you feel the same about bone crunching hits?

Not exactly the same. And they’re already trying to eliminate predatory hits.

One is much easier to dissuade/prevent.

There’s “bone crunching” hits in football, yet rarely any fighting, so it’s not like it’s impossible to have one without the other.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

They don’t even police themselves. It’s more often then not a plug who is only in the lineup to “enforce” fighting another plug who is in the lineup for the same thing for throwing a dirty hit. There is the occasional “answer the bell” fight but for the most part it’s plugs fighting plugs to “get their teams going”

I'm sure "plugs" like Ryan McLeod skating really fast doing absolutely nothing out there really fires up the boys

 

[Esko6]

Sure. Most sports. Baseball they fight all the time. As mentioned racing, They fight because getting taken out is a dangerous play and players are willing to fight about it. The penalties for fighting in racing are far less than in hockey. They fight in basketball with regularlity. They dont fight much in football because of the gear they wear only.

I have watched F1 and WRC since the mid-90s and I can recall one shoving match, kinda weird if fighting is common in racing in NA. I recall that one case where a driver got so pissed off he had to try to hit his competitor with a helmet but he got run over and died.

 

[FOurteenS inCisOr]

I don't think so. If players want to fight, let them. If the players decide one day that they don't want to fight at all, it's too dangerous then that's fine too. Leave it to them to decide, IMO.

That’s your right.

 

[Doshell Propivo]

Lots of concussions come from whiplash.

Yes. But that doesn't mean we should tolerate direct, intentional blows to the head. You will never eliminate concussions completely but the idea is to create an environment (through equipment, rules and education) where it is infrequent. Regarding whiplash, there are boarding penalties, charging penalties, checking from behind, etc. that address that (some of the time). Yes you will always have situations where everyone is following the rule book and a clean play results in a head injury. Or an accident happens - player trips and goes head first into the boards.

 

[Doshell Propivo]

The problem is guys wrestling each other to the ice.

I don’t remember seeing these kind of injuries as often in the old days when it was more about throwing punches.

I also remember the old days where there was no "code" to stop punching a player when he's down on the ice. Kind of wild re-watching those fights from the 70's and 80's.

 

[EazyE1]

This thread reminds me of that dinner scene in Talladega nights. "If we wanted to raise a bunch of wussies we wouldnt have named them Walker, and Texas ranger. We would have named them Dr. Quinn, and Medicine women." Or however the dialogue goes. LOL

 

[Holymakinaw]

With most of the sports-people worrying about the increasing amount of head injuries in the game it's quite baffling that bare-knuckle fighting on ice in a ball game is still supported by the conservative hockey fan base. It's just stupid macho shit and it does not have a place in modern hockey. Taking them out of the game reduces head-injuries without changing the game in any meaningful way. Just watched the Oilers-game and what a pointless and dangerous looking injury Kassian suffered as a result of that fight.



And you can do it step-by-step. In Finland for a long time there's an automatic 1 game suspension if you fight and that only makes fight very rare. Make it 3 games and fighting virtually stops.

And yeah yeah, world's gone soft and all that but this is hockey with enough toughness and injuries even as it is. I used to think that fights were okay (never was a fan of that aspect of the game TBH) but with all the evidence about the brain damages and even lost lives of NHL-fighters I've come to think otherwise. Would it really be that bad if fighting was banned?

Yeah, maybe you're right. We should just completely get rid of everything that has made the game of hockey........hockey.

 

[Daisycutter]

No it doesn't. Penalize dirty shit with lengthier suspensions, it'll be much more effective.

Suspensions can't fix what already happened. Have your considered that maybe if we get rid of the instigator penalty then maybe these guys will have a blow off valve that prevents emotions from boiling over and the dirty shit wouldn't happen in the first place?

 

[AssaultPK]

Taking them out of the game reduces head-injuries "without changing the game in any meaningful way."

This is 100% a false statement and in you saying that, you lack credibility to someone who played the game.

 

[Surrounded By Ahos]

You know what else is a problem with hockey? Equity. Hockey needs to be more accessible to poor communities. Hockey equipment and skates are too expensive. It's time to ban skating from hockey. This would allow more access to the game from communities of color. Floor hockey is the equity future we all deserve. No hitting, no skating, and no fighting.

sir this is an arby's

 

[ottawa]

If your neighbour tells you to move somewhere else because he doesn't like how you painted your fence he's a dick. You aren't a dick for telling your neighbour there are other fences he's free to look at instead, you are not demanding other people change to suit your personal preferences.

The players want fighting and the vast majority of fans like fighting as long as it's not minimum wage enforcers forced to choose between concussions and bankruptcy. The vocal minority demanding changes doesn't get to tell those people that this isn't their sport anymore and they need to go watch something else.

1) is the fence hurting people? This question alone should explain to you why your analogy is dumb. People are saying fighting is causing needless injuries and the league needs to move away from that.

2) is there a source on this? Because fighting has slowly been getting eliminated in the past 2 decades whether you want to accept that or not. The numbers are way down from pre-lockout (04)

 

[Stealth1616]

Ban fighting and that’s the beginning of a new breed of hockey player - the fake tough guy

 

[urho]

Yeah, maybe you're right. We should just completely get rid of everything that has made the game of hockey........hockey.

Fighting is everything that makes hockey.....hockey?








That's the only thing I'd like to see eliminated.

 

[Cup or Bust]

I personally don't care one way or another if fighting is allowed or not because it seems to add little to nothing to today's NHL and doesn't seem to make much difference. Fights are so infrequent that no one can possibly rely on fights for entertainment at a hockey game anymore otherwise you must watch what you consider to be a lot of boring games waiting for a fight to take place. If they are going to continue to allow fighting at this point I do think that if a player purposely removes another guys helmet he should be suspended for a game or the fight instantly stopped. The NHL is just waiting for someone to hit his head on the ice and get brain damage or worse at this point for something that has become almost useless. It was different in the age of enforcers. Guys who knew how to fight, were good at it, and fighting seemed to serve a purpose. Watching mostly players fight that are not that good at it in comparison to when fighting actually meant something in hockey is not very exciting at this point.

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

Suspensions can't fix what already happened. Have your considered that maybe if we get rid of the instigator penalty then maybe these guys will have a blow off valve that prevents emotions from boiling over and the dirty shit wouldn't happen in the first place?

NHL hockey pre-instigator penalty shows this is in no way true.

 

[Doshell Propivo]

Most of these analogies and arguments are priceless. A real thinking man's thread. LOL Meatheads are gonna meathead I guess.

In any case, it's clear that fighting is becoming less and less relevant in the NHL. It is inevitable that it will be gone in the not so distant future.

 

[Bluto]

sir this is an arby's

I thought this was Burger King. I can have it my way.

 

[Surrounded By Ahos]

I thought this was Burger King. I can have it my way.

I sincerely doubt that you put much thought into any of the posts you made in this thread.

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

Ban fighting and that’s the beginning of a new breed of hockey player - the fake tough guy

That guy already exists.

Modern day NHL leaves a wide space for fake tough guys and rats. No enforcers to create the havoc and beat downs that will eventually even get the rat's teammates tired of defending him, but enough old school mentality to not punish rat behavior appropriately.