NHL players want to keep fighting, even if rule changes on the horizon

Broodwich

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NHL.com - News: NHL players want to keep fighting, even if rule changes on the horizon - 01/23/2009

Friday, 01.23.2009 / 7:08 PM
Canadian Press

MONTREAL - The death of a young amateur player in Ontario after an on-ice fight was a shock, but it hasn't changed NHL players' support for dropping the gloves during games.

The NHL and the NHL Players Association are looking at how they can make fighting safer, but there appears to be little support for banning it from the sport.

"That's such a sad situation, you feel for his family, but at the same time, fighting is a unique part of our sport," Phoenix Coyotes captain Shane Doan said Friday, referring to the recent death of 21-year-old Don Sanderson in a senior league game.

"There have been tragic accidents in other areas of our sport as well. I understand they're trying to do everything they can to make things safe, but at the same time, we realize that it's a physical sport and there are parts of the game they can't control."

After Sanderson's death, NHL vice-president Colin Campbell said the league would put fighting under the microscope to see what changes can be made. He does not support a ban on fighting, but is open to new ideas on the topic.

It is to be discussed at a meeting of league general managers in March. And former goaltender Glenn Healy, an executive with the NHLPA, said both sides are looking at what can be done about fighting through the NHL competition committee.

"We've had 15 things we've talked about with regards to fighting," Healy said as players and team personnel gathered for all-star weekend in Montreal.

Many of them involve building better helmets and chin-straps to help the head pieces stay on. Sanderson died after his helmet came off during a skirmish and his head hit the ice. The Ontario Hockey League has already made it a rule that fighters must keep their helmets on.

But Healy also opposes a ban on fighting. There are fears that a ban would lead to more stick fouls and dirty play, but others argue that fighting has become more dangerous because players today are bigger and hit harder. There is also concern that even legal bodychecks now often lead to fights.

But a six-foot-four skater like Joe Thornton feels that fighting is an integral part of the sport.

"I'm a traditionalist when it comes to hockey," the San Jose Sharks centre said. "Fighting's been around since Day One.

"I think it would be a shame to take it out of the game. It's part of hockey, like tying up your laces or shooting the puck. It's been part of hockey for a long, long time."

Even those who don't drop the gloves like Boston's Marc Savard are against an outright ban "Obviously, I don't do a lot of fighting, but I don't want to see it taken out of hockey," said Savard. "From a fan's perspective, it plays a huge role.

"And there's guys in the NHL who would lose their livelihood. It'll be looked at to help the security of the players, but I don't think you can get rid of fighting."
 
I love to play hockey, but I haven't watched it since the strike... cutting fighting would be a real slap to their core audience who they have already done their best to drive off. Bad, bad idea.
 
Seems like a no brainer to me. It's banned in every other sport for a reason. If they want to allow fighting.... maybe make them keep the gloves on???
 
Seems like a no brainer to me. It's banned in every other sport for a reason. If they want to allow fighting.... maybe make them keep the gloves on???

You gotta drop the gloves to get hold of the other guys jersey and then pull it over his head. Then you really go to town, think Nolan Ryan giving Robin Ventura the business.
 
Something that many aren't realizing... Fighting is something that is done to retaliate a guy for his cheap shots and to fire up your team.... If you outlawed fighting, you'd start to see guys hitting each other with their sticks and cutting each other with their skates.... You'd probably see more Bertuzzi stuff too.... Fighting is one of those things that prevents the crazy cheap-shots (or at least limits them)...

The truth is hockey is a dangerous sport. I know guys who had serious injuries in high school and USHL and they weren't related to fighting.... In high school there was a women's hockey player (the star player) who slipped when doing a line change and hit her head straight on the ice. She got a concussion and even had some memory loss... You're going to have freak accidents, injuries, and even deaths in hockey regardless of whether there is fighting or not..
 
If I am a cop at one of those games, and fighting starts, the cuffs go on them and they go to jail.

The fans and probably both teams would kick your ***, release the guys you cuffed, and then continue the fight and game.... Meanwhile, you'd be banned from all hockey games and there'd be blogs devoted to sending you nasty threats.....

So yeah, by all means, go for it!
 
Something that many aren't realizing... Fighting is something that is done to retaliate a guy for his cheap shots and to fire up your team.... If you outlawed fighting, you'd start to see guys hitting each other with their sticks and cutting each other with their skates.... You'd probably see more Bertuzzi stuff too.... Fighting is one of those things that prevents the crazy cheap-shots (or at least limits them)...

The truth is hockey is a dangerous sport. I know guys who had serious injuries in high school and USHL and they weren't related to fighting.... In high school there was a women's hockey player (the star player) who slipped when doing a line change and hit her head straight on the ice. She got a concussion and even had some memory loss... You're going to have freak accidents, injuries, and even deaths in hockey regardless of whether there is fighting or not..

Then give them off ice penalties for malicious actions. Pay-cuts, suspensions... Fighting isn't just there for protection it's there because they feel if it was banned no one would watch. I for one don't watch now, but if fighting was banned... probably would.
 
Then give them off ice penalties for malicious actions. Pay-cuts, suspensions... Fighting isn't just there for protection it's there because they feel if it was banned no one would watch. I for one don't watch now, but if fighting was banned... probably would.

You could always watch women's hockey...
 
Fighting isn't just there for protection it's there because they feel if it was banned no one would watch.


You are DEAD wrong... I know guys who played NCAA and in the AHL.... Been around hockey for a while... If you didn't have fighting, there would be much MORE cheap-shots and you'd have guys hitting each other with sticks... I'd rather get punched in the face than hit with a composite stick that some guy can generate a 120mph slap shot with...
 
You are DEAD wrong... I know guys who played NCAA and in the AHL.... Been around hockey for a while... If you didn't have fighting, there would be much MORE cheap-shots and you'd have guys hitting each other with sticks... I'd rather get punched in the face than hit with a composite stick that some guy can generate a 120mph slap shot with...

Did you read my previous post? If you suspended players for malicious penalties off ice.... they wouldn't happen as much. Look at the NFL if you punch someone during a game you get ejected and then suspended. All I'm saying is the same thing could work in hockey.
 
Did you read my previous post? If you suspended players for malicious penalties off ice.... they wouldn't happen as much. Look at the NFL if you punch someone during a game you get ejected and then suspended. All I'm saying is the same thing could work in hockey.


Yeah and in the NFL you have these idiots like T.O, Ocho Cinco, Joe Horn, et al, who pull off all of these acts in the endzone because they don't have to worry about someone whooping them up.

In baseball they don't let you hit guys now and the umps give warnings real quick. You still have guys hitting each other and bench clearing brawls.... Professional players are willing to get suspended or have docked pay to stand up to themselves and their team mates.

In hockey, no matter what, you'd still have some fighting going on. Suspending these guys would give them a much needed break as the NHL is a greuling 82 game season... If you suspended them for too long, or docked them too much pay, the stars would end up playing in leagues overseas that would pay them similarly...
 
I think we're both sort of on the same page, but our perspectives are different...

From the business-side the NHL probably does want to keep fighting in fear of fan support dropping. At the same time, I would bet there are execs in the league that think that banning fighting would make the sport more family friendly and marketable...

On the players-side, they want to keep fighting for the reasons I've stated before...
 
Yeah and in the NFL you have these idiots like T.O, Ocho Cinco, Joe Horn, et al, who pull off all of these acts in the endzone because they don't have to worry about someone whooping them up.

In baseball they don't let you hit guys now and the umps give warnings real quick. You still have guys hitting each other and bench clearing brawls.... Professional players are willing to get suspended or have docked pay to stand up to themselves and their team mates.

In hockey, no matter what, you'd still have some fighting going on. Suspending these guys would give them a much needed break as the NHL is a greuling 82 game season... If you suspended them for too long, or docked them too much pay, the stars would end up playing in leagues overseas that would pay them similarly...

I understand your point and I respect it. Not trying to get in a big argument here, all I am saying is I see fighting in hockey similar to diving in soccer. Something that is not needed that ruins an otherwise good sport. I may be in the minority here, but it is just my opinion.
 
when you are relagated to sunday hockey on NBC or versus who gives a **** seriously

how many of you care?
 
I understand your point and I respect it. Not trying to get in a big argument here, all I am saying is I see fighting in hockey similar to diving in soccer. Something that is not needed that ruins an otherwise good sport. I may be in the minority here, but it is just my opinion.


You aren't in the minority I don't think... I know A LOT of people who like hockey but not all the violence and they watch Women's Hockey... When I suggested it, I wasn't trying to be demeaning or anything..
 

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