It is like its expected and condoned as i watch the refs just hang back as the beat each other up.. and people at the staduils are always pissed if a fight done break out.
2007-12-26 06:00:28 · 13 answers · asked by AKAPAC69 2 in Sports ➔ Hockey
Fighting in hockey is tolerated but not really encouraged. Its a physical game and the athletes need to let off steam or they could do much worse damage with their sticks and skates (which aren't in other contact sports).
The linesman sit back more for self-protection than anything else. A hockey fight is very tiring so they just wait until the players are tired and then jump in and break it up.
If you watch carefully it is all done in quite a 'sporting' manner. People rarely give cheap shots, or head buts or hit someone when they are down. The refs do jump in right away if one of the guys is injured or if it is obviously a mismatch.
Its simply a couple of healthy young men settling their differences with some solid but fair 'Marquis de Queensbury' fisticuffs.
2007-12-26 06:05:37 · answer #1 · answered by megalomaniac 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
It's all about emotion. Any physical sport can get your blood boiling. Add to the mixture the fact that some players specialize in jabbing and nipping at you to get you flustered, and you have the recipe for fighting.
A good scrap can also give your teammates an adrenaline boost. It pumps a team up.
Most fights occur between two willing opponents, and if you watch you'll see guys nod or tap each other on the back when the scrap is broken up. In most cases, the players do not carry the grudge beyond the game.
2007-12-26 09:43:41 · answer #2 · answered by ULAM 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It was really a huge thing in the 80's, the Flyers loved to, witch gave them the name "Broadstreet Bullies". Also in the 80's, fighting could give a better chance on the powerplay. Because back then, if there was a fight, it went 4 on 4, some teams would fight when they were on the powerplay to open up space and make it 4 on 3. Fighting now of days is more of an energy thing. A perfect example of it would be Ian Laperriere of the Colorado Avalanche. Sometimes getting in fights gives a team losing some energy, or it's more of standing up for a player.
2007-12-26 07:02:25 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
It's a long standing tradition. I'm Canadian and played for years. I was in a few fights myself, some that I won, some that I lost.
The only real place you can hit someone in a hockey fight is in the face because the rest of the body has equipment on it. Fighting on skates is much different than fighting on the street. You can't really kick and since it's usually pretty cold on the ice to begin with anyone that throws a haymaker punch and hits someone in the head will likely hurt their hand almost just as much. You don't really have the same 'push off' force that you could generate if standing on shoes and solid ground.
This type of fighting is far and away much more safe than allowing them to fight with their sticks as others have mentioned or fighting while one opponent has fallen to the ground (this could cause a blade to the neck to easily happen).
2007-12-26 06:37:54 · answer #4 · answered by Ben H 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
You have blades strapped to your feet, a big stick in your hands, and it is legal and encouraged to run into people to separate them from the puck. Fighting is a method of justice in a sport with so many opportunities to be unjust. If you know that you are going to get your face punched in, it might just be enough of a deterrent not to slash a player across the back of his knees. The threat of this kind of retribution is the type of glue that can keep a game from spinning out of control.
Also, there is no other sport that requires as much skill and concentration as hockey and this causes all of your fight-or-flight instincts to kick in. Imagine that you are furiously pushing your legs at a sprint pace, stopping and starting, while being chased, checked, and slashed all balanced on 1/8" of steel. And that's just your lower body......
Remember to keep your hands soft and your arms and shoulders relaxed while all of this is going on in order to cradle rocket passes and bounce off checks......
And lets just say that you were able to fight through the checks, cradle that rocket pass right on to your tape, stick-handle gracefully around the defense and break in on goal........
Then there is the art of shooting. lol.
But lets just say you uncork a blistering snapshot to the upper corner of the net beating the goalie clean?????
Well too bad, you hit the crossbar. Now start over. This is the epitome of frustration and what you have to deal with as a player.
I wonder why people don't wonder why players don't fight more.
2007-12-26 06:46:00 · answer #5 · answered by Zam 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Check out the book
The Code: The Unwritten Rules of Fighting and Retaliation in the NHL
written by Ross Bernstein
forwards by Marty McSorley and Tony Twist
It will give you a lot of insight into the reasons behind fighting in the NHL
Available at Barnes & Noble:
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&EAN=9781572437562&itm=1
2007-12-28 07:10:10 · answer #6 · answered by Dano 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The reason there are fights is because coaches use it to turn momentum in a game...but the main reason is so that players don't take runs at the superstars of the game...when Gretzky was in LA Mcsorley was there to protect him..check out a book called: The Code- the unwritten rules of fighting and retaliation in the NHL....great book....
2007-12-26 09:45:16 · answer #7 · answered by skaman_81 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
being from the south as well i can understand your confusion, and so far the best thing i can come up with is fighting in hockey is like the american civil war. ya see the american civil war was fought over the rights of states versus the rights of the federal govenrment which doesn't really make either side really right or wrong it's just a difference of oppenions that couldn't be resolved anyother way than fighting. it's like when a dog gets into a fight with another dog, ya know to make that other dog his *****, see what i mean?
2007-12-26 10:21:32 · answer #8 · answered by Texas Hockey is awesome! 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Fighting is a way of turning momentum. (and beating the life outta someone who was getting on your nerves)
In a 2-2 tie early in the third, the winner's team will have far more momentum than the loser's. This will hopefully result in them scoring the go-ahead goal.
The refs get in the way, and they'll be taking a few shots to the head.
2007-12-26 06:07:00 · answer #9 · answered by TBL 6 · 4⤊ 1⤋
Refs/linesmen hopping in can get hurt themselves or what if they get one guys arms tied up, leaving the other guy free range? Best to let them duke it out, tire themselves out and be done with it.
It serves a purpose. Would you rather they took out their frustrations with their sticks? It also can motivate your team......I could go on and on but to be honest the Q is overasked.
Go top ask, type in "Why is fighting allowed in hockey" and tons of Q's and A's will come up, click on them to get all the scoop.
2007-12-26 06:06:56 · answer #10 · answered by Bob Loblaw 7 · 3⤊ 1⤋