Comments on: Fight for Your Right

By: Irfan

Irfan — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 16:20:01 +0000

I am glad that fighting is still an iarmptont part of the game, and I am looking forward to what the Boogie Man could potentially bring to this team.The “new” NHL has made it difficult for guys that are one dimentional fighter types to be productive in any way offensively. Makes you wonder how a guy like Bob Probert would have one if he played in today’s NHL. The guy may have been the toughest S.O.B. to ever play the game, but he also had a decent set of hands and could put the puck in the net. He had his demons off the ice but still went way to young. RIP Bob Probert

By: Deanna

Deanna — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 18:56:25 +0000

I LOVE a good hockey fight. It gets my blood pumping, that’s for sure. What I don’t like, however, is fights like this one. There’s no reason for a fight 3 seconds into the game. Nothing anyone said to you in warm ups or while skating into your face-off position should be enough to ignite you that early. If it’s because you’re hyped up due to your dislike for a team or player, you’re not really focusing on playing the game itself. A fight in the middle of a rough game or after bad hit is understandable. This off the opening face-off BS is not.

By: Rebecca Guilbert (@Becca_34)

Rebecca Guilbert (@Becca_34) — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 04:00:47 +0000

and that should totally say “that IT causes” not “is”…and (hopefully) clearly meaning fighting…

By: Rebecca Guilbert (@Becca_34)

Rebecca Guilbert (@Becca_34) — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 03:56:13 +0000

I HATE the argument that is causes all these concussions…Nathan Horton and Marc Savard anyone…? Let them fight. It’s exciting to watch and gets the fans and players going. Instead of banning fighting, let’s take all the players with career-threatening/ending late hits and ban them instead…(I’m sorry, I’m bitter). But honestly, it’s the being unprepared for the elbows and boards that are the bigger concussion problems than fighting. Fighting is more for broken noses and black eyes…

By: Rebecca Guilbert (@Becca_34)

Rebecca Guilbert (@Becca_34) — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 03:52:13 +0000

ALL of this!

By: Farah

Farah — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 01:12:07 +0000

I would love to say that I hate the idea of fighting, that its dangerous, that it leads to serious injury, that it should lead to Shanabans etc, etc. etc. I know that’s what my response, as a proper woman of Christian upbringing, should be. But if I’m honest with myself, I LOVED watching this. It was exciting. The kind of adrenaline and gametime hatred you only get with the most bitter of rivalries. That adrenaline and hatred that makes me love watching sports. I might like it even better when I’m not invested in either team because…well…its all the fun without the stress of worrying about my players. I also have a little special place in my heart for Ryan Carter from his days as a Green Bay Gambler, and the fact that he landed a few real good punches made me proud. Is that bad? I mean…probably. But its the truth, so, there it is 🙂

By: Pants

Pants — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 19:24:21 +0000

I knew someone would have a great anti-fighting argument. I particularly like this point: “after a match, the game tape is reviewed by a commission,” since they are already reviewing games for suspensions and fines, even when a penalty is not levied during the actual game.

I found this interesting too, as it cites that NHL executives believe fighting will phase itself out as roster spots go to what this calls more “skilled” players. It’s a bit of an excuse to do nothing now (as you said, that’s how it’s always been!), but I could see it reducing the number of fights. It won’t eliminate them, of course, since plenty of “skilled” players are also fighters (hello Scott Hartnell’s 35 goals). http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/david-shoalts/nhl-wont-even-consider-banning-fights/article2262540/

Thanks for that, PX. Well stated.

By: PX

PX — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 19:15:09 +0000

Staged fighting in particular really bothers me. I just dont see the point, and if I wanted to watch people fight, I’d do it properly and go watch a boxing match (seriously – has anyone told those guys how ridiculous they look trying to fight while not falling over?). This blog post (after the last Rangers-Devils match incidentally) sums it up: http://www.scorenation.ca/2012/02/staged-fights/

There was a great post on the Backhand Shelf blog a few weeks ago (http://blogs.thescore.com/nhl/2012/03/05/history-lessons-what-hockey-is/) about how sport (and ofcourse ice-hockey) has evolved over the years, but how each generation clings onto things that they dont want to let go of becase ‘thats just how it is/has always been!’ Its a part of CURRENT hockey culture, and given that there are already moves to ban fighting altogether in lower levels, I would be quite happy to see that propogate up to the NHL.

Arguments about how banning fighting MIGHT result in dirty players having more leeway strike me as distraction tactics. International (and European) hockey has no fighting. Do we see a ton of dirty hits and illegal plays happening there? Not that I’m aware of. Another solution is to do what they do in rugby where after a match, the game tape is reviewed by a commission, and any player found to have done something illegal gets warned/banned for x amount of games. So that deters players from dirty play. Problem solved and no need for fighting (hurrah!).

By: Linnea

Linnea — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 17:38:50 +0000

So, hockey n00b here, but I love (intern Jeff Skinner and) fights in general. Is the fight in hockey analogous to the brush-back pitch in baseball. Is that right? A way of marking space, enforcing unwritten rules, announcing your presence with authority?

By: Tiffany

Tiffany — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 16:14:19 +0000

Yay! An entry about the Devils! When my brother texted me that 3 fights happened within the opening 3 seconds and showed me the bloodon the ice because I was at my friends wedding, I was like wtf. I almost bought tickets to this game in February. I love watching these two teams, so much bad blood (literally) and hypeness (a word?), it gets the fans going. Sadly, Devils couldn’t capitalize, but what a way to start the game, huh?! LETS GO DEVILS!

By: Lindsay

Lindsay — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 16:01:38 +0000

Independent research puts the concussion rate from fighting at 10-24 percent; meaning between 76-90 percent of concussions are caused from elbows to the head (looking at you, Bourque), scuffles after a whistle (I’m looking at you, Thornton), or boarding a playing into the glass (I’m looking at you, Hedman).

I think that since fighting is largely a choice for a player to engage in, banning it won’t dramatically increase player safety – changes like introducing a red line, no-touch icing and due diligence by the league to punish head shots will.

At the end of the day you can’t make hockey an injury-free sport even when it comes to head injuries – no matter what rule changes you make accidents can always happen (get well soon, Hall!).

My vote says fighting stays. And that Stu Bickel deserves a feature as a future Foxy Friday. Me-ow!

By: annoyed.

annoyed. — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 15:49:21 +0000

really? don’t diss the devils green jerseys. they are so much better than the baby blue atrocities the penguins wear. please don’t even blog about the devils. just continue do what you do best and lust after 18 year olds.