Why does Hockey NEED fighting?

Question

I know I'm in the minority here at Yahoo Answers, maybe someone can come up with a reason that makes sense to me. I can tell you some that don't:

"It's exciting for the fans" - For every person I know that would not watch the sport if fighting were eliminated, I know 10 that would.

"Hockey needs more fighting" - Wrong. Hockey needs more HOCKEY.

"It attracts people to the sport" - No, it gives people a bad image of what the sport is because the media show fights, not Goals and Saves.

"It's a safety valve against people dishing cheap shots" - Then severly penalize the people giving the cheap shots.

I'd honestly like to hear an argument FOR it that makes sense and hope one of you will come up with something I hadn't thought of. Oh, and by the way, I've followed hockey since before most of you were born (and I have played it too), so if you think your answer needs to include statements like "Obviously you are not a true hockey fan" or the "You must not know the game" , save it.

Justus -- Well said, better than I did

Bob Loblaw -- I just finished giving you 4 reasons Hockey should not have fighting. Perhaps your time would be better spent watching Boxing, if that part of the Sport makes you so happy. Should we put Ice skates on them for you? Better yet, should we just have each game be a bench clearing brawl between 40 people, at which point the last person standing can put the puck in the net?

trombass08 - it's not that I keep taking Bettman's "side", it's that I think he is just a figurehead with no real power, much like a monarch of a Democracy, and that it is the OWNERS who have ruined the game. I have an open question about him and would encourage you to answer it.

Ken B - Very well and passionately argued

Knight_1_71 - You too, very well argued

I really don't see the need for this to degrade into "My Country is better than your country" or "My sport is better than your sport". Let's stick to answering the question.

Wayne Gretzky has spoken out repeatedly against fighting. He has appreciated having Semenko and McSorley as teammates because of the REALITY OF THE SITUATION, but I repeat, he has spoken out REPEATEDLY against fighting. He does not condone it.

I'm thinking about a point a lot of you have brought up --- that someone like a Crosby needs someone to stand up for him, otherwise there would be too many cheap shot artists.

You raise an excellent point, but I would still ask why other sports that allow body contact don't have this same problem?

Answer 1

Try this one, hockey needs fighting because it is ingrained in the hockey tradition. At least North American hockey. People ask why it is there, the answer lies in the question; How did it get there? For those who played it is almost impossible that you have not been on the edge of wanting to drop the gloves. Outside pro leagues it is mostly prohibited so thats what stops most of it from happening there.
But lets look at it from the point of those who play where it is allowed. You get hooked, you get slashed, you get held and tripped. You want to turn around and take your stick to the next guy that touches you. And these are the skill players that I am talking about. They can't do that. It's not good for the team, it's not good for the team. What is a good alternative? Let two guys who are willing to fight and then sit in the box for five go at it for a while. That cools off the aggressive tension building up in other players. Watch the bench after a fight. The players feel the energy and feed off it. But watch the frustrated skill players after a fight. They lose that anger in most cases. They go out and do what they are there for, play hockey. It's more then a "safety valve" it's a "release valve". I believe that is how it began in the first place. Let two guys releave the stress of other players who need to be on the ice. Get rid of fighting and I believe that the amount of violent penalties would go up not only on the skilled players but by the skilled players.
I don't support brawls with four or five pairs duking it out all over the ice, but a well timed fight or two keeps the emotions leveled out. It's human nature that brings out the aggression in us all. Without a structured way to release it you will have more violent acts. Look at the violent acts that happen in sports that don't allow fighting at all. I know they are isolated incidents, but I don't think anyone wants to see a hockey player rip off someones helmet and stomp them in the face.

Answer 2

Well, hockey doesn't need more fighting, I'll give you that. It just needs Canadians running the show.

Fighting seems to be more or less a way to extract revenge on a player, whether it be for:
-a cheap shot or what the player thought was a cheap shot (I know you don't want to hear that but it's true)
-harassing a teammate
-payback

And it's kind of hard not to insult you when you keep taking Bettman's side.

Addition: Okay, the body contact in other sports issue? Well, in the NBA you can't sneeze on a guy wihtout getting a foul and MLB doesn't allow contact so let's look at the only other main sport that allows some kind of contact: football

Football has huge hits happening on every play. A reason for why they might not fight as a "sideshow" is because they're already fighting during the play with all the pushing and shoving during a play. It's a "car crash" on every play, especially on the line.

Answer 3

It is exciting for the fans, next time you see a fight at a game, look around and see how many people are out of their seats. I like the fighting and would like to see more. Did you happen to notice the buzz about hockey after the brawl a couple of weeks ago? The Emery/Biron fight WAS GREAT.
It wasn't meant to attract people to the sport. It is part of the game that players police the actions of others. It has always been part of the game and just because some new fans can't handle a little blood, I say screw them.
My fond memories include the brawl games, like when the Flyers intimidated the Russians off the ice or the nasty 72' series with Canada and Russia. These are classics.
Also, if you have followed hockey for so darn long, you would know it is good and appreciate it for what it is so yeah, you are not a true hockey fan.
I have a question for you. Why does hockey NOT need fighting? It isn't too often that guys get seriously hurt fighting. A broken nose or a broken hand is usually the extent of it. Now the cheapshots, they are what cause the serious injuries. To make a statement like this, I can tell you are not Canadian and you probably root for some obscure team that shouldn't even have a franchise. It is a Canadian game and I take offence to you suggesting we tinker with it. The game has already changed too much to resemble the figure skating Euro leagues so WHY take out one of the best parts of the game?????

Justus-come on there are more brawls in baseball then hockey for God's sake. And hockey is what we call a contact sport. JEESSSSHH.

Answer 4

I can't answer your question. But I will give you some observations.

Many of the same players from the NHL play for their national teams in the Olympics. In Olympic hockey, the penalty for fighting includes ejection from that game and the next game. Guess how many fights there are. That's right, about 0.

So the NHL stars can play at a very high level without fighting. I dare say I prefer hockey in the Olympics to NHL hockey.

No one expects to see a fight at an NBA basketball game, a Major League Baseball game or an NFL football game. Yet those guys have contact all the time (well, baseball not so much), and there are severe size differentials in football especially. If you need fighting to protect your small skill guys, why not in football?

The answer is that those sports decided that there would not be fighting. They will sell their sports based on playing the game. Even boxing decided a long time ago that they would not allow any uncontrolled bare-knuckle melees. Only the NHL (and some junior and minor hockey leagues in North America that take their cues from the NHL) have steadfastly maintained their rules allowing, even encouraging the brawling that other sports have found counter-productive to their financial well-being.

The conclusions are left to the reader.

Answer 5

Fighting has always been a part of hockey. People don't turn the channel when a fight breaks out, they don't stand up and leave the stadium...they stand and cheer. Ever see a batter charge the mound in baseball, place goes wild. The NHL is obviously making money because they expand the salary cap every year, so why are we continuing to debate changing this game? Some markets aren't doing so well in the states and honestly teams should not have been put there in the first place. I too have been watching hockey all my life and there is plenty of good hockey being played. Some of the best games are spirited because of a good fight. I find it ironic that you've been a fan your whole life and are so determined that fighting doesn't belong. Its always been part of the game, its entertaining, brings emotion to stale games. This debate drives me nuts. Hockey is a great sport so lets change it?

Answer 6

Well you're right on many levels and ur worng on many levels.

Exciting for fans? Yes, many fans love to see scraps, but some hate it. That could go either way.

No it doesn't need more fighting. That's a giveaway.

I've never heard of it as a safe valve against cheap shots, but ur rite, one mite use that as an excuse.

Now fighting in hockey is an important aspect. I mean, it's really a huge way to defend ur pretty-boy goal scorers. Take Chris Drury in that Buffalo Brawl recently. Someone laid a pretty good hit on him. If you noticed, Buffalo wasn't even going for the puck at that point, there were out to get blood. Drury can't stick up for himself, he's too little and pretty, so the fighters step in and stick up for the little guy. This is why I think the PENGUINS, not the NHL, should fite more, cuz they need to protect Crosby. I believe if you talk to any sucsessful goal scorer, like Brett Hull, or anyone else (not wayne gretzky, sorry about earilier), they will be for fighting because they were defended while playing. If there was no fighting, everyone would have keyed in on the goal scorers, and they would have to face injury, which shouldn't be part of the game either. That's why people should fight. Not to get the fans into, but to stick up for those who can't do it themselves but r great hockey players

BUT when you think about here's my point:
you want hockey rite?
No fighting means goal scorers get hurt more
No goal scorers means less goals
Less goals means less interesting hockey games and less fans
Less fans means less salaries for players and teams
Less salaries means maybe another lock out
Another lock out means even LESS fans
See what goes around comes around. THAT's what i'm trying to say

So to answer your question, does it need it? NO! Should it have it? YES!! I don't see why people r starting to complain NOW when fighting has been around for a long time.

Answer 7

Fighting should always be involved with hockey. Fighting is a part of hockey. So when someone says needs more hockey, that includes more fighting. Fighting has been apart of hockey for more than 30 years.

Don Cherry, a great hockey coach and analyst has always been a great supporter of fighting. The only people that the hockey players are hurting in a fight are themselves, so why not allow that?

I have played hockey for many years and have engaged in a very small amount of fights, but I have always supported it. A good fight in hockey can be a big momentum turner. Hockey is a team sport, and many players find fighting a way to stick up for teammates.

As I recall a few years ago, Claude Lemiuex of the Colorado Avalanche illegally checked Kris Draper of the Detroit Red Wings in the back, and Draper hit the boards face first busting his face all up for the rest of the season. Darren McCarty of the Red Wings one year later was able to seek revenge on Claude Lemiuex by getting into a fight with him and putting Lemiuex in his place. Fighting, like mentioned earlier is a way for teammates to stick up for each other.

Besides its fun getting into them.

Also, many people just watch NASCAR for the crashes.
What would you say about that?

Answer 8

If you have every played full contact hockey at a higher level you will understand that it is a very physical game in every sense of the word physical. The physical nature of the game coupled with the extreme pace keep players at and extremely emtional state. There aren't too many sports where players carry several potential weapons (sticks, skates, etc...) If there was not a fear of getting your butt kicked up and down the ice for extreme dirty play you would see a whole lot more of it. Trust me. Why do teams keep "enforcers"? Guys that can't skate but can kick the crap out of you. Play dirty and you will meet mister enforcer... If they weren't there people would get hurt by dirty play way more often than you see or hear for it now. I recall watching a player purposely try to slice a guys wrist with his skate... He will think twice about doing that again I assure you... (i don't think a 2, 4 or 10 minute penalty would have the same effect).

Answer 9

I agree with you on alot of accounts.

I do think that hockey needs more hockey, and i have to wonder why they fight so much. but i will give you 3 good reasons. maybe they will help.

1.) Tradition. Hockey fights have been around since Hockey's beginning. No matter who you are, after you continue to get cheap shots to the ice you will let it all out eventually.

2.) Entertainment. People buy this stuff. Many hockey fans enjoy the fights (i enjoy them to, but i do wonder why they fight so much)

3.) Half of the fans, especially in Canada, go to the games drunk. Anything short of a fight in most cases like this will draw boos, because i guarentee there is nothing more entertaining to a drunk hockey fan than a hockey fight.

Answer 10

You just don't agree with those reason but they are all really good reasons.It also makes the sport unique.With all the hitting in hockey these players like to take out their anger and who better to do it on than the guy who just ran him into the boards? I love watching fighst and sometimes it's the best part of the game.If your team gets blown out 7-2 and there are a few fights it make you feel a little better about it.I love hockey so much and if fights were illegal it would never be the same game.