should NHL ban fighting?

Answer 1

No.

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Answer 2

No, but it shouldn't encourage it either. What the NHL needs to do is to adopt the international ice size or move to 4-on-4. The players are so big these days that the play gets congested and true offensive (and defensive) skill is put on hold for traffic and congestion. Next time you're watching an overtime game during the regular season, notice how open the play is and how much more exciting it is. Why? Because regular season overtime in the NHL is played 4-on-4. But this will never happen because the players and owners are too greedy. The owners don't want to take any seats out of their building, and playing 4-on-4 means that less players are needed in the NHL, which the NHLPA would be up in arms about. My suggestion: start phasing in the new ice size as new areanas are built. Calgary already has the capability for international ice size, and I think a few other (not sure which). If the new Pittsburgh arena is built with the big ice surface, this could be realistically implemented in about 15-25 years.
People say that they would stop watching the NHL or that it would turn into a sissy "All-Star-style no hitting" game without fighting, but look at the Olympics and other international competitions. It's probably some of the best, most fiercely competitive hockey ever played, and it gets a huge amount of viewers (probably more than many NHL playoff games). In Olympic hockey, they play on the wide international ice surface and fighting results in a match penalty and ejection. There is a place in hockey for fighting, when tempers truly flair or your star player is getting pushed around. The problem occurs when you actively encourage and promote fighting in hockey, and have fights just for the sake of fighting. One, you get big, lumbering idiots who can't play to save their life, solely for the purpose of wailing on the other team's big, lumbering idiot. This prevents some truly talented players trying to make it in the NHL from moving to the next level. Second, you get casual fans (mainly in the south) who don't understand the game and only show up for the fights. Sure, it gets people to the game and gets people's attention, but it's the same kind of attention that a redneck midget fight gets. Do we want casual fans to just show up to the game, and wait for the players to beat the bejeezus out of each other, or do we want casual fans to respect and understand the game? Hockey is the fastest, most exciting, best game on earth. It shouldn't be a carnival side-show.

Answer 3

Absolutely not. People are pointing to the injury of Todd Fedoryk the other night as a call to ban fighting. But take fighting out of the game and the number of Chris Simon/Ryan Hollweg incidents (FAR more dangerous) will increase. And if you take fighting out of the game, watch how many liberties teams take in running Jagr, Crosby, Ovechkin, Briere, and every goalie in the NHL with zero fear of retribution! The NHL is competitive, it's not the Ice Capades.

What the NHL needed to do (and they did) was ban the bench-clearing stuff. Leave the fighting to the one-on-one stuff. The guys who fight have enough common sense to know when the fight is over and not continue to pound away on a guy who is down and out.

Answer 4

All these bleeding hearts and their whining about fighting in hockey. Two guys punching each other for 30 seconds and then its all forgotten about. Should they ban pitching in baseball? If a pitcher gets mad and throws at someones head do they throw him out immediately? No, they give him a warning. If a defensive lineman in football gives a another player a forearm shiver to the head or punch him in the groin does he get thrown out of the game? No he gets nothing or maybe a 15 yard penalty. Wow, there is a real deterrent, especially if your team is up by 21 in the fourth quarter. Fighting as always been a part of hockey and should always remain a part of hockey. Todd Fedoruk not withstanding, it is very rare to see someone seriously hurt in a hockey fight. A couple of stitches is better than a blown out knee from a crack back block. Also better than a spike in the groin from someone trying to break up a double play, or is that Illegal. Leave the NHL and fighting alone, it has been around this long and no one has died yet

Answer 5

NO! Lets see, say there are 1500 games played through out the NHL and there are only 100 fights for the whole season, now when it is put that way, doesn't seem like a lot now does it. No it doesn't. It is only getting so physical now is because there are teams fighting for playoffs. Its that simple. They are fools if they strip fighting from hockey. They might as well just ban the whole sport, because me and a few million won't attend any more games.

Answer 6

No no and no It may cause some good players injury's but its the best part of the game you know how your getting ready to sit on the couch for the big game it startrs your all fired up after a while it gets boring then bam a fight you shouting and hollering just having a good time no they shouldn't might as well ban nhl too.

Answer 7

I'll have to say a big, resounding NO simply because it'll encourage dirtier stick work--as in, oh, oops a "trip" or "high stick". I remember seeing some announces talking about this a few weeks ago and one of them with experience calling European leagues (where there is no fighting) said that was where he's seen some of the dirtiest stick work in his career. And anyway, the only time hockey gets any REAL attention in the States is, unfortunately, when there is a huge/controversial fight (one word: BERTUZZI.) In short, no ban on fighting--it's just not an issue, at least to me.

Answer 8

Fighting is already banned . Have you ever seen a fight where the two players did not sit in the penalty box???

The question that needs to be asked is should there be stiffer penalties for fighting - and that answer should be YES. Was watching the NYR, PHI game, and Orr gets into a fight, serves his penalty, then gets into his second fight some 8 minutes after the first. Oddly enough, that was not reason enough to kick Orr out of the game - he would have to get into his THIRD fight in the game for that. Anyone that gets into 2 fights in a game does not have the best interest of the game on their mind

Answer 9

No, if the NHL drops fighting it will not be the classic game it is. They are changing all the rules from the originals, might as well keep one of the great past times in the game.

Answer 10

No... fighting has a purpose in the game, it allows the players to police themselves. Also, most fights almost never cause injuries... people love it and they think that the players are knocking the s*** out of each other but most hockey fights are all about grappling and sliding all over the ice causing few punches landed or big connections... hits and checks in regular play are actually worst than any fight.

Let them fight... hardly anyone gets hurt from them. The fans love it.

But with that said if the league ever stops fighting I won't care and I won't miss them. Like I said, it is mostly a lot of grappling and sliding... to me, it is mostly boring... I know I'll get a lot of negative flags for that comment but oh well. Fights are usually won by the skater who keeps his balance... big deal. Every once in awhile though its fun to watch.

Answer 11

I like a game misconduct foul for the idiots that do not play the game or have something better to do than play hockey. This at least leaves fighting as a part of the competition and reduces incidents.