The Players' Tribune: Why We Fight by Brandon Prust

[TheSituation]

The people that don't play the game are never going to understand what it's like. Fighting is there as a release, as a means of protection, as a possible deterrent, to settle a score, to lift your team. It has its purpose. If you don't like it fine, not everyone like everything to do with hockey.

LOL, as if fights are actual deterrents. Didn't Evander Kane clean Matt Cooke's clock? He got KO'd for christ's sake and not a damn thing changed.

 

[Do Make Say Think]

Late does not necessitate a vulnerable position. Does it say whether he knew the hit was late prior to committing to it, or after he'd made the hit? Because those are two very different situations.

He was looking to start a fight

Of course he isn't going to say that he went headhunting: he doesn't see it that way

He sees himself as a knight in shining armour, the guy is delusional

 

[TheTwelfth]

All these dirty plays (including fighting, if one wants it gone) can be rid of by hitting the players where it hurts: in the wallets. Think an AHL-scrub would run over the goalie in the playoffs if he risked to be suspended without pay for months?

 

[Ohashi_Jouzu*]

Fighting creates animosity, animosity breeds rivalries, rivalries fuel prolonged interest in the sport. You want to make it "safer" for the players by removing fighting, and all the hard hitting that spurns them? Have fun getting people to pay thousands of dollars for season tickets to all-star games with 17-12 scores, where players barely bend at the waist and totally respect their opponents.

That's not hockey. That's early 1900s "fancy skating".

 

[Do Make Say Think]

Fighting creates animosity, animosity breeds rivalries, rivalries fuel prolonged interest in the sport. You want to make it "safer" for the players by removing fighting, and all the hard hitting that spurns them? Have fun getting people to pay thousands of dollars for season tickets to all-star games with 17-12 scores, where players barely bend at the waist and totally respect their opponents.

That's not hockey. That's early 1900s "fancy skating".

I don't remember Habs fans being so vocal in favour of fighting after they got humiliated by Ottawa in the playoffs

Suddenly their goon shows up and says "I'm awesome and this is why" and now they are all in favour of it

 

[Muston Atthews]

LOL, as if fights are actual deterrents. Didn't Evander Kane clean Matt Cooke's clock? He got KO'd for christ's sake and not a damn thing changed.

Only thing that comes up when you search Matt Cooke Winnipeg is him getting his clock cleaned. Kaleta was quite the non factor against Toronto when Orr and McLaren were in town after Orr cleaned his clock

 

[Muston Atthews]

Guy Who Fights says that, actually, fighting is very good and important,

And 99% of the league as well

I don't get that. How much worse could Cooke be if there is not fighter around to stop him? And what stops Cooke from turtling? The fighter, too?

Nothing stops him from turtling. Kaleta turtled against Orr and Orr gave no ****s.

 

[Doshell Propivo]

Fighting creates animosity, animosity breeds rivalries, rivalries fuel prolonged interest in the sport. You want to make it "safer" for the players by removing fighting, and all the hard hitting that spurns them? Have fun getting people to pay thousands of dollars for season tickets to all-star games with 17-12 scores, where players barely bend at the waist and totally respect their opponents.

That's not hockey. That's early 1900s "fancy skating".

If we get rid of fighting we'll have 17-12 scores?

 

[Alex Jones]

If we get rid of fighting we'll have 17-12 scores?

The lack of fighting must clearly explain the abundance of 30 point college and Olympic hockey scorelines.

 

[Alex Jones]

All these dirty plays (including fighting, if one wants it gone) can be rid of by hitting the players where it hurts: in the wallets. Think an AHL-scrub would run over the goalie in the playoffs if he risked to be suspended without pay for months?

If the NHL was serious they would fight for longer suspensions at the next cba, especially with regards to intent to injure plays. I see no reason why a play deemed as intentionally dangerous should warrant anything below 10 games, but good luck getting the pa to agree to that.

 

[TheTwelfth]

If the NHL was serious they would fight for longer suspensions at the next cba, especially with regards to intent to injure plays. I see no reason why a play deemed as intentionally dangerous should warrant anything below 10 games, but good luck getting the pa to agree to that.

I don't see the PA winning that fight. How can the PA be said to stand up for protecting players (against injuries) when they don't want to go along with longer bans on injuries? It also becomes this weird issue where PA members get pitted against each other instead of against the owners. I am certain it will happen soon. Just like the NFL realised that fans don't pay for their QB to be injured, the NHL wants to ensure that their star players stay free of injuries.

 

[Trottier]

Fighting creates animosity, animosity breeds rivalries, rivalries fuel prolonged interest in the sport. You want to make it "safer" for the players by removing fighting, and all the hard hitting that spurns them? Have fun getting people to pay thousands of dollars for season tickets to all-star games with 17-12 scores, where players barely bend at the waist and totally respect their opponents.

That's not hockey. That's early 1900s "fancy skating".

Amen.

Watched the Flyers kid Laughton asked for, and get, a fight today from the Caps Nishkanen this afternoon, based on a beautiful violent and clean hit the Cap Dman puts on him, games ago.

This hockey fans loves EVERYTHING abut that:

Loved the hit that spurned this animosity.
Love that Laughton wanted retribution and had the COURAGE to seek it.
Love that Nishkanen manned up (and kicked his ass, BTW.)

Likewise, this hockey fan has utter contempt for anyone who would want to alter that dynamic, which has been part of the game since it's beginning.

Get your grubby hands off our great sport!

 

[Doshell Propivo]

Amen.

Watched the Flyers kid Laughton asked for, and get, a fight today from the Caps Nishkanen this afternoon, based on a beautiful violent and clean hit the Cap Dman puts on him, games ago.

This hockey fans loves EVERYTHING abut that:

Loved the hit that spurned this animosity.
Love that Laughton wanted retribution and had the COURAGE to seek it.
Love that Nishkanen manned up (and kicked his ass, BTW.)

Likewise, this hockey fan has utter contempt for anyone who would want to alter that dynamic, which has been part of the game since it's beginning.

Get your grubby hands off our great sport!

In a meaningless game in early February.... Whatever. Wouldn't happen in the playoffs.

The "alteration" is already occurring. Like it or not. Give it a few more seasons and I bet you we'll go through an entire playoff season without a single fight.

I'm not advocating getting rid of fighting because it's dangerous. Actually I'm not advocating for getting rid of fighting at all. Merely observing that it has become completely meaningless. For better or worse. I'll leave it up to you blood thirsty goons and pansy pacifists to argue about it.

 

[Trottier]

In a meaningless game in early February.... Whatever. Wouldn't happen in the playoffs.

The "alteration" is already occurring. Like it or not. Give it a few more seasons and I bet you we'll go through an entire playoff season without a single fight.

I agree entirely that the alteration is occurring, organically. Which is why I especially have contempt for those who feel they need to over-regulate...as in "dictating" no fighting via yet more changes to the game, i.e., harsher penalties, etc.

Next they'll come after contact of any sort.

Melodrama? Not if you've been reading this board over the years.

 

[Doshell Propivo]

I agree entirely that the alteration is occurring, organically. Which is why I especially have contempt for those who feel they need to over-regulate...as in "dictating" no fighting via yet more changes to the game, i.e., harsher penalties, etc.

Next they'll come after contact of any sort.

Melodrama? Not if you've been reading this board over the years.

True. Though I'd counter that's it not all that organic but as a result of the over-regulating, especially the instigator penalty. The players have adapted, the game has changed and the result is fights play very little, if any, role in today's game.

 

[Ohashi_Jouzu*]

True. Though I'd counter that's it not all that organic but as a result of the over-regulating, especially the instigator penalty. The players have adapted, the game has changed and the result is fights play very little, if any, role in today's game.

Except galvanizing teams, fueling rivalries/interest, and entertaining fans (particularly those in attendance), of course.

If we get rid of fighting we'll have 17-12 scores?

Guilty of exaggeration to make a point using the score of this year's all-star game. But even if fighting were removed tomorrow, and suspensions continue to increase in severity to combat the far more abundant injury concerns from various other forms of body contact, the obvious response/adaptation for the players - collectively uninterested in losing significant portions of multi-million dollar salaries - is to reduce the game into "no bending at the waist" level intensity. Do your job risk free, collect your paycheck, go home at the end of the day... bound to be exciting stuff.

 

[Doshell Propivo]

Except galvanizing teams, fueling rivalries/interest, and entertaining fans (particularly those in attendance), of course.



Guilty of exaggeration to make a point using the score of this year's all-star game. But even if fighting were removed tomorrow, and suspensions continue to increase in severity to combat the far more abundant injury concerns from various other forms of body contact, the obvious response/adaptation for the players - collectively uninterested in losing significant portions of multi-million dollar salaries - is to reduce the game into "no bending at the waist" level intensity. Do your job risk free, collect your paycheck, go home at the end of the day... bound to be exciting stuff.

Fair points. I agree with you (and Trotts and others) that there is over-policing in today's game, to a degree. The instigator rule, suspending players willy nilly, etc. And again I'm not saying that we should ban fighting. But my opinion based on my observations is that fighting has become less and less important each year. And we'll eventually get to the point, if we're not there already, when it becomes completely useless.

 

[CupInSIX]

PK has written his own article entitled 'why we fart'