Trevor_deen
Registered User
- Aug 31, 2004
- 120
- 0
I don't see what those examples have to do with fighting.EricBowser said:3. Ban Fighting - Yeah, I don't mind a clean fight but the sport gets a black eye with the non-traditional hockey fans and now more than ever, hockey needs to attact every single person showing the least bit of interest in the game. Far too often, fights are occuring because a player couldn't allow his manhood to be questioned because he just received a punishing legal bodycheck or a teammate is trying to stickup for an injured player off a hit, clean or dirty.
Those fans who say hogwash to the elimination won't stop watching hockey. They are hockey fans, not boxing or ultimate fighting fans.
If a player instigates, jointly agrees or causes an action that creates a fight or melee on the ice, at the descretion of the referee, will receive a 10-minute major for unsportsmanlike conduct, game ejection, and automatic league review by a NHL/NHLPA appointed panel. First time offenders will receive one game suspension without pay plus fine, second offense will result in ten game suspension without pay plus a fine and third time offenders will receive a 72-game ban, loss of pay, and a panel review for possibe lifetime ban. The panel review by a unaminous vote under a special circumstance clause would be allowed to suspend a player at a higher game level or immediately ban for an act deemed violent and unbecoming of a professional hockey player.
Special cases of past events would include Claude Lemieux's rearranging of Kris Draper's face along the board, Dale Hunter's cheapshot on Pierre Turgeon in the 1992-93 playoffs, Marty McSorley's stick to the head of Donald Brashear, and Todd Bertuzzi's mugging of Steve Moore.
Why punish the fans we have now? I have yet to see a game with a fight in it where 20,000 fans ran for the exits. Hockey fans love fighting. Instead of banning it, why not embrace it, use it as a marketing tool.
Without fighting, hockey's black eye will get worse with an increase in stick work and cheap shots.