harpoon
Registered User
- Dec 23, 2005
- 14,278
- 11,544
Exactly. I would venture to guess that by far the greater number of serious injuries occur as a result of bodychecking/stickwork and not fighting.As far as fighting in the nhl is concerned I'm all in favour of getting rid of it, but imo that discussion starts with multiplying the suspensions for dirty hits etc by about 3 as well as the ramifications for the clubs who send their Matt Cooke types out on the ice.
Hockey is a violent game played at top speed. If you don't accept that, don't play.
Once fighting gets banned, its only a matter of time until certain segments want bodychecking banned as well.
Leave the game alone.
Respectfully, that's a weak argument imo.If your kid signs up for mma you know they are fighting. If you sign them up for hockey and they're not a fighter what happens when someone forces them to fight like happened to Ryan Miller among others? Helmet off, if they land on the back of the head they are messed up or maybe dead.
You could just as easily end up "messed up or dead" if you take up mountain biking, or snowboarding. And I've never seen a fight in either of those sports.
Its a dangerous world out there once you get off your sofa.
To be truthful, I quit playing hockey seriously when I was about sixteen because I got tired of having to answer the bell against guys who had five inches and twenty pounds on me. That was my decision. But I never for a minute thought that fighting should be out of the game, and indeed I willingly engaged in many fights for what I thought were justifiable reasons at the time.
Great post. Totally agree with the bolded. Here in Japan, a company I do some work for used to be a sponsor for K1 fights. I was always invited to attend and sit in the nice sponsor seating. People couldn't understand why I always refused.I thoroughly despise MMA and think that it's barbaric. It really bothers me that it is a form of entertainment for some, yet I have good friends who love it, and I've argued with them about it.
In my opinion that kind of stuff is really only one step away from gladiators. Doesn't interest me in the slightest.
But I still think a sixty second fight in an ice hockey game between two willing combatants - in the heat of the moment - is a part of the game that should never be changed. Guys like Boogaard and Smac need to get out of the league though.