Fighting has to go

[Scandale du Jour]

Zero proof it's celebrated. This is all in your head.

A shitload of players talk glowingly about enforcers all the time.

Talking heads praise players for getting into fights ALL THE f***ING TIME!

Coaches talk about momentum swing after fights or guys stepping up for the team ALL THE TIME!

And, yet, the culture is not celebrated. Jesus f***ing Christ.

Either you never watch any hockey media or you are lying. Third possibility is that this culture is so engrained in your brain that you perceive it as totally normal and just "what it is".

 

[bucks_oil]

I'm kinda torn on this. The fan in me loves an occasional, heat of the moment, fight. ... but my brain... the one that has struggled through recovery from several serious concussions thinks that things do need to (continue to) change.

What about this... Last nights injury to Kassian was 100% due to him whacking his head on the ice with no helmet. Most of the time that happens due to a take down. Where both guys have their hands tied up and the guy on the bottom can't protect himself while 230 pounds of his opponent comes crashing down on him.

So let's do this:

• 10 minute misconduct if your helmet comes off (do your strap up tough guy) - similar to the jersey off rule
• game misconduct if:
  • you are judged to have torn a guy's helmet off
  • you are judged to have taken a guy down and land on top of him - let's eliminate the whole concept of the takedown... stand and chuck em if you want, but it's over when you guys tie each other up
• automatic 1 game suspension for your 2nd game misconduct in a season, 2 games for the next offense, 3 games etc...
• Instruct linesmen to intervene IMMEDIATELY if a helmet comes off or loose, or when guys tie each other up - fight is over

This could keep fights in the game as a natural evolution of the physical play, but would avoid the majority of the injuries where the concussion is most often from the ice and not from a fist.

 

[Sens With Benefits]

As unfortunate as the outcome was, I don’t think it will be banned. Too many casual fans enjoy them.

 

[KlefDown]

agreed. its got to go

 

[glovesave_35]

I could honestly take it or leave it.

Most of the fights these days seem to be premeditated theatrics decided by the fighters themselves rather than as an organic, spur of the moment thing. I wouldn't miss it at all if it left, but I don't look at the days gone by in a negative light. I just think the game has been trending in the direction of fight-less hockey for a while.

If it stays, I'll be fine. If it goes, I'll be fine.

 

[GreatSaveEssensa]

It's just as stupid as saying fighting has to go because Zack Kassian hit his head.

Shit happens and it will continue to happen case in point John Tavares got kneed in the face.

Shit happens it just does

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……

 

[NoelVilla]

I didn't know it existed anymore. If I ever see a game with a fight it becomes a hugfest quickly and the refs break it up. No need for the old staged fights anymore.

 

[Sasha Orlov]

I love watching the boys chuck em, maybe you should check out basketball if it’s not your thing

 

[Sheppy]

Compromise, let them fight with their hockey gloves on.

That's more dangerous.

 

[Arthur Morgan]

Fighting is dumb. Should be removed from the game. It’s barbaric and tbh kind of embarrassing to watch. Grow up.

Maybe a sport like badminton or curling would be more suited for you....

Fighting serves it purpose.
without it, and you see it all the time now where the rats come in and torment players.
no one to put an end to it when the refs ignore it

Thats the real purpose of it. to enforce the game.
if they take fighting out completely the rats will 100% take over the league and the cheap shots on our star players will only get worse

you should look at the bigger picture. unless you want a league full of Zack Kassians in it

 

[urho]

I love watching the boys chuck em, maybe you should check out basketball if it’s not your thing

I like the 99,9% of the sport where there's no fighting involved. I'll make sure to watch some basketball, tho and I recommend boxing or UFC for you!

 

[ottawa]

I'm in the camp of "I don't care if it stays or goes" so I'm really neutral on it...but the way things are trending, fighting will probably be gone within the decade so you'll just need to be patient.

Maybe a sport like badminton or curling would be more suited for you....

Such a cringe justification for fighting

 

[Sheppy]

It seems like these topics always get brought up as soon as someone gets knocked out.

And before the dorks come in and say "iF yOu LiKe FiGhTiNg WaTcH UfC!" - I do watch MMA, and I watch hockey, and hockey has fighting in it, and always has.

 

[lucaseider]

These players died because that was the only thing they did. They would rack up more than 20 or 25 fighting majors per season. One-dimensional enforcers don’t exist anymore.

Guys like Kassian, Reaves or Wilson do much more than fighting. They contribute in the game with hitting, defense, goals, assists etc. These guys don’t fight nearly as much, and fighting has become a hugging contest for a lot of players.

As for Svechnikov, no one forced him to fight. He willingly challenged a much bigger and stronger guy and paid the price for it. I’m pretty sure that fight was likely his first and last.

I'm not sure how much you saw of probert if you think all he did was fight, yet guys like reaves and kassian do much more? really?

 

[BiolaRunner]

Just because you say this doesn't make it true.

Please tell me what other 'sports leagues' are above hockey in Canada? (this should be good)

What does Canada have to do with the NHL(not hockey in general) not being in the top 10 sport leagues in Finland?

 

[TGWL]

He got injured because the helmet came off. I think a better-argument than removing fighting is having the ref step in or the fight stop as soon as a helmet comes off.

 

[ottawa]

It seems like these topics always get brought up as soon as someone gets knocked out.

And before the dorks come in and say "iF yOu LiKe FiGhTiNg WaTcH UfC!" - I do watch MMA, and I watch hockey, and hockey has fighting in it, and always has.

Hockey has always had a lot of things that it no longer doesn't. It's changed so much (including fighting) over just the past 2 decades it's crazy.

 

[Miller Time]

Useless and unnecessary.

Sadly, it will likely take a death before they do the obvious right thing.

 

[lucaseider]

As unfortunate as the outcome was, I don’t think it will be banned. Too many casual fans enjoy them.

Ya, people who have watched the nhl for over 40 years MUST be casual fans, just cause we like fighting, what a stupid comment.

 

[Grover]

It's funny reading posters say that people who want fighting to be in the game should grow up and that fighting isn't hockey...while the grown ass adults who actually play the sport want it to stay

 

[Harvey Birdman]

Neanderthals, lol.

Big hit, me cheer.

 

[Sheppy]

Hockey has always had a lot of things that it no longer doesn't. It's changed so much (including fighting) over just the past 2 decades it's crazy.

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.

 

[lucaseider]

The funny thing is nobody has a problem with hits, which cause FAR more injuries than fighting, but I guess the hits excite them more than fights, so hitting is ok, even if it causes far more injuries.

 

[MartyOwns]

i've been saying this for years. unfortunately, they won't stop until somebody dies on the ice. at that point, everyone (especially outside the hockey world) will be saying "why didn't we ban fighting sooner?"

if you're looking for neanderthal violence, there's plenty of other sports you can watch. this is a beautiful game, fast, skilled, exciting. bare knuckle boxing on ice doesn't belong anymore.

The funny thing is nobody has a problem with hits, which cause FAR more injuries than fighting, but I guess the hits excite them more than fights, so hitting is ok, even if it causes far more injuries.

hits serve a purpose- to separate the man from the puck. fighting does not.

 

[inthewings]

I don’t really care either way, but I generally consider fights to be an annoying interruption to the actual game when they happen.