Should fighting be banned in the NHL?

Answer 1

Like crashes in auto racing, no one would watch the NHL if fighting was banned.

Answer 2

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO
NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO
NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO
NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO
NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO
NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO
NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO
NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO


I'M TIRED OF HEARING THIS QUESTION IT WILL NEVER EVER BE BANNED. IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT THEN THIS SPORT IS NOT FOR YOU, JUST DON'T WATCH IT OK.


clueless_...>>>>you are really clueless when it comes to hockey yes its part of the game and if you grow up playing hockey then you will understand the meaning of fighting in the NHL or just hockey all together. you take out fighting more injuries will accure and yes top players can fight to, look Jarome Iginla, Eric Lindros, Joe Thornton, Sheldon Souray, and the list goes on its not about two guys just fighting for the fun of it its because its part of the game it give you that boost when your down in the 3rd period or if someone is picking on are top star player or bashed him in to the boards hard we have to send a sign saying your not going to push us around, just don't watch hockey if you think it should be banned cause your not a REAL HOCKEY fan period.


GO HABS GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Answer 3

NO NO NO NO NO.

Name one other sport where a person wields a 6-foot weapon in his hands and have bodily contact. Not only that, name another sport where full bodily contact can be given to the star players at any time, without any kind of bodyguards (ie O-line in NFL). Lastly, name another sport where players go potentially 30MPH driven by nothing but leg power.

Put all those together and you've got a sport where the refs simply cannot control the cheap stuff in the game because the game is too fast and a jawbreaking body check if done cleanly is legal.

What's then to stop the other coach from saying, "go hurt whats-his-name"? Nothing but enforcers, because guys know if they step out of line and do harm on a star, they gotta answer the bell.

Otherwise, if fighing was banned, there'd be all kinds of marginally legal hits to stars, the stars will be hurt more often than not, and the game would be hurt because of it. see Pat Lafontaine, Cam Neely, Mario Lemieux (because all the cross-checks to the back in junior hockey hurt him longterm), Eric Lindros (even though still playing, imagine him without those cconcusions), Pavel Bure, and the list goes on. And that's with enforcers in the league but refs weren't calling the cheap shots as much back then, or their team never had an enforcer when their star was there. Winnepeg never had one, nor did Boston in the Neely days, Philly never had a true enforcer when Lindros was there, and Odjick came too late.

Answer 4

If the NHL were to ban fighting that would be very disappointing. im not a very big fan of fighting but im a HUGE fan of hockey and the fan base is already low. if you take out fighting people wouldnt realize what an excellent sport hockey actually is. so the point is they should NOT ban fighting in the NHL

Answer 5

I'm going to go against the crowd here.

Absolutely.

Other sports don't need it, why does hockey? The most common reasons I hear are: it gives players a "safe release" for their aggressions, it's been a part of the game forever, and fans pay to see it.

Well other sports have body contact and you throw a punch, you're gone. So somehow players survive. If they've been given a crunching body check, they can skate harder, score goals, check harder. A punch is not needed. Besides do the skilled players get in fights? Of course not, they are too valuable! They have someone without skills fight for them.

It's always been part of the game? Well we are trying to make this sport BETTER. Hockey is about passing, skating, highlight goals, point-blank saves, and sure, hard checks against the boards. You want fights? Plenty of boxing matches you can watch. Get rid of the guys with 200+ penalty minutes and the people who replace them will be able to pass better, skate better, defend better. The quality of the overall game will improve.

And the last point.....for every person I know that wants the fighting there are 10 that WOULD watch hockey and go to the games but are turned off it for the same reason. That's a lot less paying customers and TV $$$ for the NHL. And it doesn't help that the supposed "sportscasters" will show the fights, not the goals and saves. Hockey gets an image it doesn't deserve. That would change if suddenly there weren't any fights to show "highlights" from.

And what happens when the 7th game of a playoff series rolls around? Suddenly those "enforcers" get no ice time at all. Gee, maybe something about the game being real important to win and needing the most skilled players out there?

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By the way:

I have been a fan of hockey for 30 years.
I know the game and understand it.
I HAVE played competitively.

Make your arguments, but don't assume things about me that are not true.

Answer 6

Only if the NHL wants to completely turn this game into figure skating with a puck. They've taken a lot of the game away with the frequent penalty calls, taking the fighting away would really hurt the sports reputation.

Answer 7

N...O...
There is a reason players fight.
1. Enforcers for their teams' star player(s)
2. Try to ignite a spark for their team if they are down by 3 or more goals.
3. It's been part of the game ever since the NHL started.

Answer 8

I want everyone who has ever played ice hockey competitvely to answer this one. NOOOO. I was a defensemen for a local team, (I sucked by the way,) and I can say that at no less then 3 times a game I was capable of taking a human life. It wasn't the hitting or checking, it was the cheap shots for me, (spearing, hooking my crotch, trying to stick the back of my knee or under my armpit.) Even though it was a suspension, I did occasionally drop the gloves with a few guys, whether they were readyor not. It is a very emotional game, and fighting brings together many emotions all at once, especially if you win the fight.

Answer 9

NO. whoever says that fighting is the only entertaining part of hockey should be shot in the face. Nobody watches hockey "just for the fights" and if you do your not a real hockey fan. I like fights but they're not the main attraction. and whoever says that hockey has a "low fan base" should also be shot in the face. Hockey is the 4th most popular sport in the U.S, the 1st most popular in canada, and the 3 most popular worldwide.

GO HOCKEY.

go fighting too.

Answer 10

NO NO NO NO AND NO. everyone loves the fights, it pumps up the teams and the home fans really go crazy. fights are important in the NHL and they should never even think about banning them

Answer 11

WHY would fighting be banned?
its one of the high lights of hockey even if with the new nhl you dont any bench clearing brawls