The Importance Of Fighting In Hockey
Why Hockey Fights Are Needed
The National Hockey League is lucky, in a way.
What was once a major issue – fighting – has all but taken care of itself.
Fighting is down significantly, to the point where the only time people really talk about it these days is to mention that fighting is, well, down.In 2012-13 there were an average of 0.96 fighting majors called per game. It slipped to 0.76 in 2013-14 and 0.63 in ’14-15. This season through games played Nov. 12, 0.46 fighting majors have been called per game.
It is not the result of a league mandate. And commissioner Gary Bettman didn’t have to threaten to send serial fighters to Winnipeg for the remainder of their careers if they didn’t cease their antisocial behavior.
It just kind of happened. …show more content…
Does the league just sit back with its feet up on the desk or does it get proactive and strike while the iron is hot? By that I mean make fighting illegal once and for all, punishable by ejection from the game. A few years ago that would have been a dramatic step. Not now. For the first time, players are speaking through their action. No matter what they might say, their actions are screaming out to take fighting out of the game.
It is not unprecedented and it seems like only a matter of time before fighting leads to dismissal from the game.
Fighting is not allowed in international hockey and the best hockey we have seen in the last 10 years has been at the Olympics as well as the World Junior Championship. The players who participated in those events did so without the fear of having to defend themselves with their fists. Nor is fighting allowed in college hockey.
Actually, the NHL may soon have no choice but to eject players from games for fighting. The concern for player safety in all sports has never been higher and with former players from the NFL and NHL suing leagues for damage suffered during their playing careers, everything possible should be done to ensure players are as safe as
The National Hockey League is lucky, in a way.
What was once a major issue – fighting – has all but taken care of itself.
Fighting is down significantly, to the point where the only time people really talk about it these days is to mention that fighting is, well, down.In 2012-13 there were an average of 0.96 fighting majors called per game. It slipped to 0.76 in 2013-14 and 0.63 in ’14-15. This season through games played Nov. 12, 0.46 fighting majors have been called per game.
It is not the result of a league mandate. And commissioner Gary Bettman didn’t have to threaten to send serial fighters to Winnipeg for the remainder of their careers if they didn’t cease their antisocial behavior.
It just kind of happened. …show more content…
Does the league just sit back with its feet up on the desk or does it get proactive and strike while the iron is hot? By that I mean make fighting illegal once and for all, punishable by ejection from the game. A few years ago that would have been a dramatic step. Not now. For the first time, players are speaking through their action. No matter what they might say, their actions are screaming out to take fighting out of the game.
It is not unprecedented and it seems like only a matter of time before fighting leads to dismissal from the game.
Fighting is not allowed in international hockey and the best hockey we have seen in the last 10 years has been at the Olympics as well as the World Junior Championship. The players who participated in those events did so without the fear of having to defend themselves with their fists. Nor is fighting allowed in college hockey.
Actually, the NHL may soon have no choice but to eject players from games for fighting. The concern for player safety in all sports has never been higher and with former players from the NFL and NHL suing leagues for damage suffered during their playing careers, everything possible should be done to ensure players are as safe as