i'm writing an article about fighting and i just want people's opinions...


do you think fighting should stay or not in hockey, and if you could so generously explain your reasoning that would be incredibly helpful

thank u all very much

To an extent... Yes

out of curiosity, why?

edit: could you further on 'to an extent'... what do you mean by that?

You see your teammate getting destroyed, what are you supposed to do, watch ? It’s an emotional game and you jump at the guy who did this to your teammate

I’d say yes so long as guys aren’t getting jumped and can at least know what’s happening. If guys adhere to the code of not hitting someone when they’re down, I think that there’s still room for it. I personally think that guys whose sole purpose is to tackle or leg sweep or drive guys head into the ice need to get suspended long term because there’s no place for that, especially when someone could crack their head open if they hit the ice directly. With fighting, we could hopefully reduce times where players resort to dirtier ways of getting even with guys or getting retribution. This is coming from someone in their early 20s who grew up as a kid watching after the 04-05 lockout and has an appreciation for both the past and present of the game.

my argument is sorta along the lines of removing fighting sort of removes the need for such blatant, as the rags put it, 'horrifying acts of violence' but yes i fully see your point. that's kind of the main one i'm trying to debunk and hence am here asking around loll

Yes. It adds a fun unique aspect to the game. No other major sport allows fights. Also, Fighting has been around in hockey for a long time and there is no need to get rid of fighting. Hope that helps

loved the explanation. thank you very much, very much appreciated.

Why didn't you make this a poll?

Fighting should most definitely stay in hockey, I think that's what makes hockey so unique compared to other sports. I think the highest rated game this year was the Capitals vs Rangers game because of the media attention it got and all the fights during it, and I think the sport wouldn't be the same without it.

My friend actually wrote a persuasive essay about why it should be allowed for school lol.

I think it should as well. Makes the game more exciting and kinda lets the players police themselves on the ice.

good question. adding one now.

thank you all for the answers. very helpful, i fully see the argument you all have here and to be honest i fully agree with you guys. i enjoy the excitement of fighting in a game, as well as (i'm a leafs fan) even our more star-like players are sticking up for each other. it adds a morale & team element to the game unmatched by other sports.

for the article's purpose, i'm going to be writing devils advocate side and going with the fighting should be abandoned, but you all have given me some great things to consider so i can come up with counters for them.

thank you to everyone who contributed and hopefully those who will contribute for all your help. much appreciated.

Im fine with fighting, what I don't like is a player starting an all out brawl and prolonging the game because his teammate got crushed by a clean hit

If its not a dirty then get over it and get him right back, but instigating to retaliate is just lame

Fighting should stay in the NHL because the vast majority of NHL players want it to remain in the game. Every time they poll the guys that actually play the game, they vote to keep it. Why? Because they know that keeping it in the game helps keep other type of "violence" out of the game because teams can police it themselves. When a moron like Tom Wilson can do what he did to Buchnevich and then Panarin, and the league slaps his wrist, it's the six fights that happened next game that prevents someone on the Rangers from putting his stick though Wilsons face. And if you think fighting in the NHL is out of hand now, try watching some games from the 1970's and 1980's. Fighting is so much more rare and less dangerous than it use to be. The Ranger/Cap game was nothing compared to some old Ranger/Flyers or Ranger/Isles or Rangers/Bruins games back then.

If fighting remains in the league, it should be an automatic suspension. The instigator of the fight probably gets an extra game. The sport is too lenient on acts that would otherwise be considered assault in any other context.

I don't have time for the "but muh teammates" argument: the only reason that culture exists is because DoPS and the reffing are both abhorrently broken. If the system can operate as intended - not how the refs see fit - dirty hits or other plays that would otherwise generate a "deserved" fight are automatic misconducts, fines, and suspensions. How games are managed have perpetuated this "need" for fighting when in reality, it's probably the part of the game most easily removed (offsides a close second). The fact that a "code" exists is proof that the game is fundamentally broken. Fix the sport. The fans and star players deserve better.

I watch hockey for the top talent: any moves that trend in the direction of increasing the value of skill in the sport and diminishing the affect/value of the typical 3rd/4th line forward is fine by me. I don't pay what I do to go to a hockey game to watch a fight. I won't deny they're exciting, but the research behind concussions features too much merit in favour of banning fighting and the opportunity to deliver more on the skill aspect of the sport is more exciting to me. I'd very much prefer to watch an 8-7, back-and-forth nailbiter that isn't resolved until the back minute because the top guns on both teams are impeded and firing on all cylinders.

Canadian major junior took this approach and there hasn't been a decrease in the quality of the on-ice product. International hockey - specifically the World Juniors - hasn't allowed fighting since Jesus himself walked Nazareth and it's considered en-masse to be some of the best hockey money can buy. The sport doesn't need it: we're allowing archaic practices, people, and opinions to dictate against the best move for the league as a whole. A lot more people would take hockey seriously if the players weren't literally trying to beat the piss out of each other.



One of the recent episodes of the Steve Dangle Podcast had a very good opinion on this, the "yeah, but look how many people watched" take. These are empty views and aren't bringing in return views. They're 'likes', not 'loves'. These antics don't make fans out of anyone but genuine sociopaths. The league markets around its stars (poorly, albeit) and we routinely see the playoffs and olympics having the highest draws in audiences. Best-on-best. Skill. The speed, general physicality of the sport, the hits, and highlight-reel plays draw in more fans every time over a fight.

Broken down in a simple thought experiment, would you rather watch the Devils-Sabres on a tuesday evening knowing that there'll be 10 fights throughout the game or do you want to watch an Avalanche-Knights game where MacKinnon and Stone are both riding hot streaks? Biases about any of the teams aside, I'm more likely going to watch the Colorado/Vegas game because it's going to be better hockey and I might see something dazzling. Do you want to watch McDavid highlights or do you want to see Michael Haley get into a hugging match with an AHL call-up?

Absolutely. It adds a fun part to the game. As long as someone isn't getting really hurt fights should absolutely be allowed.

that's the problem... 3 people died in the span of a year as a result of CTE's credited by fighting
one guy literally died in a fight

Source? You think this would be more talked about if that were the case, I've never heard of anyone dying directly from a fight. Not saying you are wrong, just would like clarification.

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2009/01/03/hockey_player_dies_after_fight.html

Fighting makes the sport more diverse from others. Though it may inure some, it makes the sport more diverse and interesting. I think it should be allowed.

That's not the nhl though. The nhl is going to have higher standards than this league. No player has ever died from a fight in the nhl. And it's highly unlikely anyone ever will because fighting has gone down over the years.