What is your thoughts on fighting in the NHL?

Question

Should they crack down harder on the fighters or should they ease up?

My thoughts are... I like it when players fight. I think everyone does. It is the result of a very aggressive game and it means tensions are high.
My problem with the way the NHL is on fighting is that its kind of a Catch 22 to be a tough guy now, and your Bob Proberts and Tie Domis are a dying breed. Because for players like Derek Boogaard, his job is to go out, play aggressive, stand up for his players. And thats what he does. He gets a big hit, and it motivates his team. But with the way the league cracks down on these guys, they are watched under a microscope, and almost warned before they have done anything. And then what you find is aggressive playing by Joe Thortons and Jerome Ignlas, they are let go, but Boogaard and Anson Carter is called for elbowing and high-sticking.

Any thoughts?

Answer 1

They need more fighting in the NHL (no hitting league). The refs have questionable calls at best which just confuse the "new fan" or casual fan who are the people the NHL are trying to get. I watch the game to see a battle in front of the net for positioning, i watch to maybe see a big hit or a nice brawl but sadly leave disappointed.
Bigger goals, and more scoring doesn't make the game better but the physical play, hitting checking and perhaps a fight or 5 =) its the niche hockey has that makes it different and that should be embraced not denounced. I read somewhere that about 40% of a hockey game is in penalties. that to me means that the refs have way too much power.

Answer 2

I think more people like the fighting in the game. And fighting is what made hockey. I'm not a fan of the players who can't do anything other then fight and hit, but each team has a few of them to protect their stars. It's really the only one of the major sports where fighting is allowed.

You brought up the more notable players in the league, Iginla, Thornton, they get away with more, but they are played a bit dirtier then other players. They get hit high, and the league wants to keep them on the ice, so they dont call too many penalties on them, KINDA evens it out. The league isn't gonna call a penalty on Crosby, or Ovechkin, or Jagr, or them, but each team knows that you have to watch them on the ice, and they out their biggest guy on the ice to play against him.Each team has one of those players and each team really needs one of those players to protect the best player.

I don't really see a problem with fighting, if it's done right, you stop hitting the guy after he falls down (like Donald Brashear does, keeps hitting the guy after he's helpless).

Answer 3

I think that the refs should let it go longer. But they can't do that, because if someone gets seriously injured they will lose their job for not stopping the fight soon enough. The players like to hit. That's reality. You don't play hockey unless you wanna hit. Refs realize that, but they also realize that they have to keep the game safe. I'm not saying that they don't call too much, because I think that the refs do need to lighten up. When you have a big guy, like Joe Thorton, going out there and hitting someone the size of like Martin St.Louis, and the refs call you for it, you have to wonder if it is because of the size difference.

Answer 4

well as the league is trying to go to a new direction meaning the New NHL, with allot more smaller players making it to the NHL these days there ain't as many fights as in the 70's and 80's but to what i can see is it will not last very long maybe in another 5 to 10 years fighting will be back in not like the 70's or 80's but it will be back in cause of the smaller players in today's NHL will not be protected and as the salary cap will keep going up as long as the league keeps making money, this means the smaller stars will be getting paid more so this smaller super stars will have to be protected cause they can't protect them self's. IT WILL BE BACK.



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

Answer 5

You are right in your assessment. However, as long as Buttman is the commish we will be stuck with this catch 22.

Hockey as you say is a physical game and sometimes frustration gets the better of the boys. The problem as I see it is not the fight or fighter, it is with the owners, who will sign up a marginal player if he drops the gloves, it's good for the box office they say.

If they concentrated in hiring hockey players instead of wrestlers, the show would be better, there would be less fights and you and I would have nothing to talk about (lol). How did they ever play hockey before that??.

Answer 6

They should encourage more fights. And let there be longer fights in rivalries, and division match ups. Some people don't like fighting, but it makes it so much more fun and crazy. No fights = no fun. As a Sabres fan, I remember back when Rob Ray fought just about every game. So fun to watch, made the game so much better.

Answer 7

Gary Bettman ruined the NHL. The owners should get rid of him, contract the league back to 20 teams and get back to basics. Until this happens, fighting will never be as important to the game as it was.

Answer 8

i think of there remains a place for it besides the indisputable fact that recently it style of feels that is all they do. you may tell the detrimental communities via the fact that as quickly as they'd't score they motel to struggling with. truthfully you may have hockey with out struggling with. What gripes me is those communities who get gamers just to combat. this is why the media exterior of the hockey worldwide hates hockey. I heavily have self assurance if the league would ban struggling with you will see so plenty extra baseball and basketball followers observing hockey. i'm no longer announcing do away with checking and actual play, yet cope with men like Pronger. while they crack down on that style of stupidity there is not any longer any prefer for struggling with.

Answer 9

I think that fighting is a part of the game. We have all seen the tempo of a game change after a fight. Part of the game!!! I would hate to see them remove or temper it. It's hard enough to watch with the new rule changes, I think I would stop all together.

Answer 10

The NHL only does it for the fans. They had 400,000 people watch the all-star game, they need publicity.