Should fighting be banned?

A big yes in my book. Fighting is basically alot of grabbing and who can pull the other guys shirt over his head first so the entertainment value has become nil. It cheapens the sport and gives it the impression that's it's roller derby and that's why it's tanking in the U.S. Not to mention those 2 or 3 players on the roster who can barely skate and shoot but are there as "enforcers" can be replaced by players who would be much more skillful at least in comparison to these goons. This would improve the flow of the game.

The crap about there being more stick work and fighting is necessary to combat that is ridiculous since there is no fighting in the playoffs and international play and no one's head is being chopped off then. If you give automatic 10 game suspensions for any high stick infraction then just watch how fast everybody lowers their sticks.

Football is a full contact sport and they keep thier tempers under control so there is no reason for hockey players to act the same. For hockey to compete with the other 3 team sports and get some respect back they have to ban fighting.

[elicoleman]

No, they should definitely fight. Thats about the only exciting part of the game anyways.

[nyisles16]

well the NHL really made a pickle for themselves this year.. yes they took a step with the new fighting penalty (last 5 min of the game - automatic ejection & one game suspension) but they also sorta went backwards with the scheduling - playing more games against division rivals.. this may produce some more fighting..

ps- fighting should not be banned... "goony-ism" needs to be (ie what Bertuzzi & McSorely did)..

[woostopalypse]

Yes it should. It would be one more reason to not let goons on the ice.
Hockey is the only sport where players are praised for being in the penalty box..
Take the mindless goons out of the game and the skilled players play without having to worry about a cheap shot.

NHL needs a zero tolerance policy. A player should not yell at a ref without geting added penalty time or even tossed out of the game. For too long NHL has been known as a goon sport, It's time for it to be about skilled players.

You can argue why cant the skilled players fight? Becuase if the skilled players fight than a another coach hires a goon who is a bigger and better fighter to fight that skilled player. Than the coach of the skilled play hires a goon to protect him. Than you have a waste of goons on the ice. It's ridiculous you never see this in anyother sport. Becuase it's common sense, GOONS DONT BELONG IN SPORTS. They end careers of talented players.

[umt_griz]

Absolutely not. Anyone who has ever played the sport competitively knows that ice hockey is an extremely chippy game (its the vary nature of the sport). And their are certain roles that each line on a team is used for during certain situations in a game. Trust me, ive played on my fair share of 3rd or 4th lines. If you take away fighting and chippy play, you take away a huge part of the stratigic aspect of the game. If you want flowers and butterflies, then i suggest you stick to the other 3 major sports.

[Nivek]

Quote: Originally Posted by umt_griz

Absolutely not. Anyone who has ever played the sport competitively knows that ice hockey is an extremely chippy game (its the vary nature of the sport). And their are certain roles that each line on a team is used for during certain situations in a game. Trust me, ive played on my fair share of 3rd or 4th lines. If you take away fighting and chippy play, you take away a huge part of the stratigic aspect of the game. If you want flowers and butterflies, then i suggest you stick to the other 3 major sports.

Well said, I agree 100%.

[nyisles16]

you now the NHL could have already put a stop to this - they could just have made a rule saying anyone who fights gets a ejection and a 1 game suspension.. the fact that they dont outright ban it says something..

[DGetz]

Well, first off fighting IS banned, like high sticking, tripping, holding and hookng because it results in a penalty. But in the way you mean it, I say no.

Secondly, I have to strongly disagree that most fight are just cluth and grab ones. Sure it happens, but most of them are not like that.

Another thing is that a lot of people seem to be getting fighting confused with "goon-ism". Enforcers are not goons (neccesarily...). Bertuzzi on Moore; McSorley on Brashear; Hunter on Turgeon - these are goons moves, all of which drew hefty suspensions from the NHL. And enforcer is someone who bring a physical presence to the ice. For example if you're playing Colorado (in 2004-05) you might be thinking of making a big hit or taking a few liberties on Kariya because he's a very skilled player and a small one at that. But the fact that Peter Worrell is sitting over there on the bench might make you think twice. Additionally having someone who play this role but can also hit helps your team to establish a physical presence every time he steps on the ice, something you dont even need to take a penalty to do.

Here's my general take: the reason the punishment for fighting in hockey is lax compared to other sports is thatthe nature of hockey compared to other sports makes it more likely people will fight. In situations like two players battling it out for the puck in the corner that result in fights I have no problem at all. I do however think it's...silly for lack of a better word when guys just fight off the faceoff for no reason. In my opinion the instigator rule is not called enough. For example there are a lot of times when Player A will hit Player B real hard and so Player C (from B's team) comes over and incites a fight, but is not given an instigator penalty. I remember this happening with Jason Doig, Matt Stajan and Tie Domi last season. In those situations I think it's clear that one player instigated the fight and they should be gone for it; it's unfortunate now that the only time the penalty is called is when one player starts beating the hell out of another for no reason.

And to anyone who thinks the NHL is lax on fights compared to other sports consider this: In the NHL you leave the bench to get in a fight: automatic 10 game suspension. Look at baseball where everyone clears the benchs in a fight. Were MLB governed by NHL rules all those guys would get 20 game suspensions. In the NBA Shaquille Oneal got three games from attempting to sucker punch someone (Brad Miller?).