Why is fighting integral to hockey ?

Question

Does the routine occurence of fights contribute to the more dangerous examples of violence on ice - i.e. , the recent stick swinging incident with Chris Simon ?

Answer 1

Actually the lack of fighting leads to incidents like Simon's. Guys know now that they can get away with a lot more because of the increased crackdown on fighting...everyone's afraid to retaliate for fear of drawing a 5 minute penalty or a suspension. I guarantee that if they allowed fighting(and I don't mean the all out brawls, but rather one on one) again, most players would be a lot more careful with where their stick was at all times, and would use them to play the puck, not opponents body parts.

Fighting is integral to the game as a deterrent to worse things like stick swinging, and hockey is an extremely fast, hard hitting game. Guys are going to get angry at times and need to let off steam. The guys who do fight, know how to. They've done it their whole life and they have the utmost respect for each other. Often after a fight, you'll see the guys talk to each other or tap each other with the stick. I see no reason for this to be an issue...as opposed to fights in other sports which are more blooper highlights and injuries waiting to happen, rather than fights.

Answer 2

Fighing is not the integral part to hockey. The skill and physical abilities like endurance are the integral parts. Fighting is a part of the physical makeup of the game that makes it enjoyable to watch and play. Those that take their anger and agression too far and physically attack another player are the ugly side of sports. Fighting allows for players to handle their anger towards another in a controlled manner. Sure you can beat another to a bloody pulp, but not before a ref breaks it up. As the rules change, so do the physical styles and the way fighting influences a game.

If you've noticed, fighting has dropped since the lockout ended. With the new rules and the faster pace of the game with emphasis on skills and speed there is not much room for a regular enforcer anymore. The need for them 10 years ago was an integral part of the game to defend their teams and teammates.

If your star player got checked hard, in the past your enforcer like Scott Stevens or Tony Twist would be on the opposing player in no time. That's as far as it would go, and the enforcer would take all the damage and the game would go on. Now you have skaters that aren't true bruisers that get too far over their head in a physical matchup and things get out of hand.

What do you really expect to happen when you hand someone pads, a helmet, and a STICK? From time to time someone uses the stick for something other than passing or shooting a puck.

Answer 3

In answer to your first question it really boils down to "we've always done that". Nobody remembers a time when fighting and Hockey didn't go hand and hand, and I as I have learned the hard way the last week it is sacrilege to even SUGGEST the game can be played without it.

A lot of people will tell you it stops cheap shots and worse stuff from happening. The argument does make some sense although one could ask why at the highest levels of hockey (Olympics and the Stanley Cup playoffs) there are much fewer (meaning close to ZERO) fights AND cheap shots.

I don't think as far as the Simon incident that is either here nor there, there just happen to be some "bad apples" (this was not Simon's first suspension) that never learn. I maintain the way to help stop these things from happening in the future is to give LIFETIME suspensions to McSorley's, Bertuzzi's and Simon's.

Answer 4

ever been driving on the highway and someone cuts you off well you might be like most other people and get angry and either swear or act like a baboon eitherway that relates to all things in life Hockey is no exception. Fighting is a key way for a team to rally against another team. It can light a fire under the team which is usually down on the scoreboard and get the players right back (mentally) in the game. This is what always bothered me about sports in general, when your playing a game your filled with all sorts of emotions sometimes they can get the best of you and no matter how many barrier we put up, rules we make were human and incidents like Simon's slash was that. He was crossed checked and took exception because his face was smashed into the glass. If you ever take fighting or physical contact out of the game you have just torn the heart out of a game built on passion.

Answer 5

Because you can check. And you wear a lot of pads anyway.
And it's a sport.
And there's penalties for fighting, so if there was no fighting, they couldn't reward the teams that kept their cool.
I play girls hockey.
I think this makes the most sense.

Answer 6

ok..Duck..listen..lighten up on the chris simon situation. Either way that wouldnt be considered fighting..what he did doesnt even fall under that category. Personally i cant tell you whether fighting makes things like that happen. Its not like there is fighting in NBA but u always hear about players getting in fights with the crowds and sh.it..

Answer 7

no. that is what hockey is.
if you think it is too violent, you must def. not be a man?
okay but umm the recent stick swinging isnt normal...
it was uncalled for and unsportsman like.
that isnt what hockey is all about.
and that's def not qualifying under the normal violence code for hockey... thats def just rude.

Answer 8

Because it is a very fast paced game, played on ice, by large men, chasing a small object (puck) when they jostle each other, it builds aggression; which sometimes overflows. That is why.

Answer 9

Who cares its awesome.