Fighting has to go

[CrazyMonkey1208]

To be fair then we need to remove checking. Because the vast majority of the suspensions that injure players are late hits or hits to head. Just remove all checking and all fighting.

I remember watching Jeremy Roenick take a slapshot to the face in MSG when he was a Flyer around 2004, it was awful. Time to ban the puck!!! It needs to be replaced with a moon pie. 1st star of the game can eat it

 

[Namikaze Minato]

I remember watching Jeremy Roenick take a slapshot to the face in MSG when he was a Flyer around 2004, it was awful. Time to ban the puck!!! It needs to be replaced with a moon pie. 1st star of the game can eat it

What kind of prize is that? A beat up moon pie that was slapped around the ice by sticks? BAN STICKS they are ruining moon pies and we need to protect them.

 

[CrazyMonkey1208]

What kind of prize is that? A beat up moon pie that was slapped around the ice by sticks? BAN STICKS they are ruining moon pies and we need to protect them.

Replace sticks with pretzel sticks!

 

[Canadian Finn]

North Americans seem to generally be more entertained by violence than Europeans. That's my impression anyway. It would be interesting to know the reason.

WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan ... to name a few. Engrained in their fiber.

(and the world should be thankful!)

 

[DearDiary]

That is the cringiest and most idiotic take I've ever heard. How about you just don't want the NHL at all? I'm sure touch football would suit you better. If you don't like the game, don't watch it, simple. Stop whining about it, overwhelming majority of NHL players and their fans like it, enjoy it, and want it to stay as part of the game. It's always been an integral component of the league. I'm sure there is some soft ass euro league you can follow instead.

Did you quote the right person? Doesn't seem like it

 

[SENStastic]

Did you quote the right person? Doesn't seem like it

my mistake, I misunderstood part of your post or I was trying to quote someone else, can't remember tbh. I will delete.

 

[HockeyHistorian]

Instead of giving players five minute majors it would be better to eject them and suspend repeat offenders and press assault charges on behalf of the meat-headed idiots. Fighting makes the game less safe, it's unnecessary and most of all, it's cringey and embarrassing to watch two grown men punch each other because of a game of stick-puck.

 

[TopShelfWaterBottle]

Keep fighting in the game. This is a physical game and needs policing which the refs cannot do. All these low testosterone people complaining about fighting have most likely never had to protect themselves or someone else. So they should cuddle their cotton stuffed teddy bear and shut their eyes when grown ass men act like grown ass men. You get rid of fighting and the league loses a third if not more of the fan base. Every single person, I repeat every single person I’ve ever taken to a game has mentioned how they want to see a fight.

 

[Karl Eriksson]

Compromise, let them fight with their hockey gloves on.

Skates on hands like happy Gilmore

 

[CrazyMonkey1208]

"Fans".. more like political activists trying to impose their political agenda on everyone else while masquerading as being super concerned for the players safety and health, when most players themselves don't have issues with it. But we know they won't stop whining, it's time to call the bs for what it is and stop dancing around it. If you give them an inch, they will take a mile and then demand another, and won't ever stop or be satisfied.

This times 100,000,000!! Enough with the nanny state. If millionaire pro-athletes want to fight, let them go. The perpetually offended can go talk to MMA fighters about fighting and concussions

 

[Bluto]

Absolutely true, its always the same type of people trying to push their soft ass ways onto everyone else, on everything. They just absolutely feel the need to at every turn, compulsively. Gets incredibly annoying, and they wont stop whining about it either until they get their way. Then they'll move onto the next target on the agenda, which is hitting all together. We all know that's next in line, it will never stop or ever be enough for them.

Then they'll cancel keeping score because losing makes them feel sad.

Everyone wins the Stanley Cup every year! We are all winners!

 

[Sigh]

Has to go? It's already gone.

 

[GoCanes2015]

Replace sticks with pretzel sticks!

Replace the ice with whipped cream!

 

[Anomie2029]

Keep fighting in the game. This is a physical game and needs policing which the refs cannot do. All these low testosterone people complaining about fighting have most likely never had to protect themselves or someone else. So they should cuddle their cotton stuffed teddy bear and shut their eyes when grown ass men act like grown ass men. You get rid of fighting and the league loses a third if not more of the fan base. Every single person, I repeat every single person I’ve ever taken to a game has mentioned how they want to see a fight.

A couple of points:

• People want to see a fight at a hockey game because it's become engrained in the public consciousness that is a massive part of the game.
• Referees can police effectively if supported by the league and the Department of Player Safety.
• Just because someone thinks fighting in hockey isn't needed doesn't mean they are low testosterone. The game can still be physical without the need for fighting. For the sake of discussion, the petty insults (low testosterone vs neanderthal) are pointless.
• If a third of the fan base leaves because of fighting being banned - which I would doubt - good riddance. Hockey has remained highly supported where leagues are reducing the number of fights.

That being said - the number of fights is naturally falling (though it rose last season with teams playing the same teams), and the DoPS still failing to effectively punish bad hits, there is no need for any change IMO.

As for it being a requirement due to concussion, pretty sure stats are evident that concussions are more likely from hitting in hockey, so whilst I think it should be phased out, it isn't a big contributor to the concussion issue of the sport.

 

[Kezaster]

Thinking pragmatically. There's three parties involved in the discussion.

1. Owners
2. Players
3. The League.

First. From the owners perspective, logically thinking. Fighting is an unique marketable aspect of the game. It makes people love the player who brings it, and bring fans to see the player.
A League that in the states has to fight against bigger sports, it's popularity rising. This would cut from the audience, it's guaranteed. And please don't say "we don't need them" pretty sure all of the before mentioned parties do not feel this way. There might be 1-3 rogues that don't care for it but majority rules. The owners have a huge say in this.

Second. The players. They want it in the game, if they did not want it in the game, it would not be in the game. It is that simple.
I'm quite certain one of the reasons is this;


It feels like Minnesota got a pretty big boost from this amplified by the audience.

Also because of this;


You can't let this happen to your top guy. And not thinking what could be, staying in the present. Injuring a star player like this, is not punishable by the dops. 2 minute penalty wont affect this at all.
So you need to acquire a guy who'll punch anyone in the face if you do that to your star player. Which is exactly what everyone knew was gonna happen and it did happen by one of the biggest if not the biggest franchises in the game . After this happens, countless stories of teams "growing an inch", "being more loud in the bench", "having more room on the ice". You get the point.

Third. The balancing governors who act with and between the first two, they wont shut it down by themselves. Unless something unimaginable that no one f***ing wants; happens.
There's a lot of ways that could happen and so far all of the most gruesome injuries in the game non have not involved fighting. Talking about career ending things and such.

As of right now, I believe the people who are for banning all fighting are by far the minority. And as such have very little power to influence the decision. The NHL they're a business, they don't care if they don't have to and have no problemos sweeping things under the rug etc.

Personally I like fighting, I do not like staged fighting. For me it's in a good place right now, spontaneous with a couple of fossil goons. But it is not the end of the world for me if they ban it, there's pretty much zero fighting in playoffs and it's great f***ing hockey. Not sure how you could replicate it regular season wise, maybe cut out 20 games?. But right now it is so deeply rooted in the cultural history of na game that I just can't see it going away in the near future.

As long as the players want to keep it in the game, I do too.

 

[Ray Mercer]

The quality of fights has gone way down over the years. The 80’s were the best for entertaining fights because you had two guys with no visors who were actually willing to trade shots. Nowadays guys just hold each other at arms bay and duck their heads with their visors on and take turns with the odd right hand that rarely lands. You don’t see the aggression you used to see in the 80’s with those rockem sockem robot type fights. I think a lot of it has to do with the lack of tough blue collar Saskatchewan type farm boys playing anymore. Nowadays it’s just a bunch of rich spoiled kids. The mandatory visor rule really hurt the quality of scraps in the league.

 

[Sol]

North Americans seem to generally be more entertained by violence than Europeans. That's my impression anyway. It would be interesting to know the reason.

Kinda comes with the territory when you're Canada's big brother.

 

[txpd]

Thinking pragmatically. There's three parties involved in the discussion.

1. Owners
2. Players
3. The League.

First. From the owners perspective, logically thinking. Fighting is an unique marketable aspect of the game. It makes people love the player who brings it, and bring fans to see the player.
A League that in the states has to fight against bigger sports, it's popularity rising. This would cut from the audience, it's guaranteed. And please don't say "we don't need them" pretty sure all of the before mentioned parties do not feel this way. There might be 1-3 rogues that don't care for it but majority rules. The owners have a huge say in this.

Second. The players. They want it in the game, if they did not want it in the game, it would not be in the game. It is that simple.
I'm quite certain one of the reasons is this;


It feels like Minnesota got a pretty big boost from this amplified by the audience.

Also because of this;


You can't let this happen to your top guy. And not thinking what could be, staying in the present. Injuring a star player like this, is not punishable by the dops. 2 minute penalty wont affect this at all.
So you need to acquire a guy who'll punch anyone in the face if you do that to your star player. Which is exactly what everyone knew was gonna happen and it did happen by one of the biggest if not the biggest franchises in the game . After this happens, countless stories of teams "growing an inch", "being more loud in the bench", "having more room on the ice". You get the point.

Third. The balancing governors who act with and between the first two, they wont shut it down by themselves. Unless something unimaginable that no one f***ing wants; happens.
There's a lot of ways that could happen and so far all of the most gruesome injuries in the game non have not involved fighting. Talking about career ending things and such.

As of right now, I believe the people who are for banning all fighting are by far the minority. And as such have very little power to influence the decision. The NHL they're a business, they don't care if they don't have to and have no problemos sweeping things under the rug etc.

Personally I like fighting, I do not like staged fighting. For me it's in a good place right now, spontaneous with a couple of fossil goons. But it is not the end of the world for me if they ban it, there's pretty much zero fighting in playoffs and it's great f***ing hockey. Not sure how you could replicate it regular season wise, maybe cut out 20 games?. But right now it is so deeply rooted in the cultural history of na game that I just can't see it going away in the near future.

As long as the players want to keep it in the game, I do too.

I am not sure what Tom Wilson has to do with this. I will argue with the players want it in the game claim. You mean they want it in the game as long as they dont have to do it. Only a handful of players ever fight. Fight only marginally deters anything.

 

[PhysicalGraffiti]

 

[RaFe]

Finnish league is the nr. 1 sports league in their national market though.

NHL is barely top 10.

A lot to catch!

Nice rebound and you are right.
Finland is hockey above all - although I only know the Jokerit team; and that’s KHL.
But love the dedicated Suomi fans when the national team plays.

 

[Negan4Coach]

North Americans seem to generally be more entertained by violence than Europeans. That's my impression anyway. It would be interesting to know the reason.

Having lived in Europe and having European family members- I agree.

My hypothesis is that the incredible carnage of two world wars so close together purged from the bloodline much of the aggressive male DNA that never returned home to mate and pass it on. This, coupled with the mass emotional trauma suffered by the rest of the population that was bombed into submission, combined to create a relatively pacifistic zeitgeist.

We did not suffer this in America, with low casualties, and the implied assumption that our aggression and militancy was a net-positive for humanity. It is what it is.

 

[txpd]

North Americans seem to generally be more entertained by violence than Europeans. That's my impression anyway. It would be interesting to know the reason.

Football

Football

But that is where it ends. Basketball and baseball are not contact sports.

 

[Kezaster]

I am not sure what Tom Wilson has to do with this. I will argue with the players want it in the game claim. You mean they want it in the game as long as they dont have to do it. Only a handful of players ever fight. Fight only marginally deters anything.

So to be exact Tom Wilson as a person has very little do with this, but what he did and how players want to prevent it was my point.
If someone is acting the way Wilson was, the guys on the team want to be able to deal with it themselves.

And about this they want it in the game part. You're right about the part that majority want it in the game as long as they dont have to do it themselves.
But that doesn't mean a guy like Auston Matthews doesn't like having Wayne Simmonds as his teammate and willing to drop the gloves if someone tries for example the shenanigans Wilson did.

Ultimately about the players want it in the game, not sure how you can argue it if you go thru the polls they took in years 11-12-17. Haven't yet found a more recent one.

 

[oilexport]

I wouldn't like to lose fighting yet.

We do need to ensure the helmets don't come off. Kassian (recent injury during fight) should have had proper headgear. I personally wear a rescue Helmut similar to climbing Helmut, in my work environment, it's comfy and can't fall off. What about visors that can flip up.

We should make some good equipment in today's day and age.

 

[Neil Racki]

Benevolent start to the season

Caps have had one hugging contest so far and zero hostilities