Will fighting ever make a comeback to normal levels?

[Big Phil]

I guess the old ladies who would wag their fingers have won this one. And even by old ladies I mean 30 year old modern men who are covering the game (eg. the media). I didn't think in my lifetime I would see it but they have sucked the passion and the life out of hockey. I mean, it just gets drained worse and worse each year. There is no hate, no animosity, everyone is friends and no one is allowed to be mean anymore on the ice. It is a love fest out there. We have the skill in the NHL and that is good that we showcase it but no one dislikes each other anymore. I'm a Leaf fan, so believe me when I say that we have a soft team.

I know it is 2019 but the fact that the Blues and Bruins were in the Cup final last year tells me that at least come playoff time toughness and physical play is important. The Blues/Sharks series last year was actually pretty intense physically I thought. To the point where I thought the Leafs wouldn't last in a 7 game series like that.

But where the heck are the fights this year? I know it is early, but even compared to last year it is low, and it was awfully low last year. Man, hockey used to have everything you wanted in a game. Now it is pond hockey more and more. Is it an ebb and flow or more of a permanent thing? Will the passion of the game we love ever return?

Click to read more...

 

[Clode]

Was just thinking this today. There is just no intensity or animosity in the game anymore and it breaks my heart. Example being tonight afterHornqvist went low on MacKinnon. Even 5 years ago that would have sparked a line brawl and the game would be nasty all night long. But tonight there wasn't even a response which is the norm now I guess. I still watch every Bruins game and even then I catch myself on my phone scrolling through Facebook/HF/whatever. No more big hits, no more scraps and no more emotion. I don't even get that excited when we play Montreal anymore.

 

[heretik27]

Iggy was probably the last of that era to be seen for a while. Guys are more worried about their pocket books than playing with any kind of intensity or passion these days. Hard to fault them when 7 million per year is on the line though.

 

[Finster8]

More serious injuries are flagrant hits from behind, head checks and knee on knee. All of these infractions are more serious than a fight. Most fights are broken up early or are hugging matches anyhow. Do you want to see a crowd come alive start a fight and fans are going crazy. I do miss that part of the game, not staged fights but if someone takes liberties with a top player then time to answer for your actions.

 

[Your Boy Troy]

Not with the dominant progressive mediums of today and the future. The hockey media as a whole is an echo chamber for pacifism, and I’m a firm believer that it is resonating with the hierarchy.

The developmental leagues have almost abolished it and hitting for that matter. Professional leagues are embracing stricter sanctions as well.

The physicality and tenacious style is forever gone.

 

[Sheppy]

Like i say... There's more beaking/animosity back and forth on twitter than there is on the ice

 

[TheBeastCoast]

Nope the fans have gotten as soft or softer then the players even have. The outcry if fighting picked back up would probably cause the NHL to find a way to kill it again

 

[Magic Man]

Part of hockey's appeal for many has always been the blend of skill and physicality. I really don't want the league to crack down anymore or other leagues to either. They need to lighten the rules up and bring it back. I think most would like to see it and I fail to see why there was the need to eliminate it.

I will always enjoy the physical side of hockey. If they eliminate contact altogether ten years from now, I'm not sure how I'll view it. I'll probably still watch, I'm kind of hooked now, but my enjoyment level will not be as high that much is for sure. It already isn't despite my team being successful. Too bad, I'm actually surprised there hasn't been more push back from fans on this. If people made the lack of contact and fighting an issue maybe they'd work to correct it.

 

[TheBeastCoast]

Part of hockey's appeal for many has always been the blend of skill and physicality. I really don't want the league to crack down anymore or other leagues to either. They need to lighten the rules up and bring it back. I think most would like to see it and I fail to see why there was the need to eliminate it.

I will always enjoy the physical side of hockey. If they eliminate contact altogether ten years from now, I'm not sure how I'll view it. I'll probably still watch, I'm kind of hooked now, but my enjoyment level will not be as high that much is for sure. It already isn't despite my team being successful. Too bad, I'm actually surprised there hasn't been more push back from fans on this. If people made the lack of contact and fighting an issue maybe they'd work to correct it.

It is money. That is really the long and short of it. None of these leagues would give a damn about player safety if they didn't think there was the risk of massive law suits after the fact....and those law suits are really the only thing that got the leagues to actually start cracking down on them.

 

[Big Phil]

Yeah, we got the lawyers involved and that makes things worse all of the time. It has cheapened our game. Just society in general being too pacifist and it inevitably creeps into sports. Breaks your heart really.

 

[Albatros]

There should be a zero tolerance approach to fighting, meaning an automatic game misconduct penalty and possible suspensions for repeat offenders if there are no mitigating circumstances. For example one game for the second fight within a certain sufficiently long time period, three games for the third, nine for the fourth and so on.

 

[nilan30]

Why are these guys getting paid so much money? In the past they were warriors who could perservere through other teams trying to knock them down and that was why they made the big bucks. Now they are not allowed to knock them down anymore. Here's 10 million dollars to play a game and no one is going to hit you anymore. The game is garbage now.

 

[Magic Man]

It is money. That is really the long and short of it. None of these leagues would give a damn about player safety if they didn't think there was the risk of massive law suits after the fact....and those law suits are really the only thing that got the leagues to actually start cracking down on them.

Should make them sign something saying the NHL is not responsible for any injury you suffer playing under any circumstance.

 

[flyersfan187]

Maybe if they start playing their rivals 8 times a season again there will be more hate towards each other. Teams simply don't play each other often enough to gain a true hatred for each other anymore.

 

[Big Phil]

There should be a zero tolerance approach to fighting, meaning an automatic game misconduct penalty and possible suspensions for repeat offenders if there are no mitigating circumstances. For example one game for the second fight within a certain sufficiently long time period, three games for the third, nine for the fourth and so on.

David Branch is that you? Or..............are you my mother, I swear that sounds just like her, you just have to add things on like "Why do they always have to be so rough to each other?"

Okay, in all seriousness, this is a terrible idea. You want such a structured game that doesn't allow grown men to police things on their own. Hockey was and is much more fun when things flow naturally, and that includes emotion!

 

[Albatros]

Sure emotion is a part of the sport and so I wouldn't want to be too harsh when it comes to spontaneous reactions, if you drop the gloves after a dirty hit then a game misconduct should suffice without any further suspension, but fighting has always been against the rules so the glorification of it has always seemed misplaced.

 

[PatriceBergeronFan]

These players are afraid to cross the line or even toe it.

Players want to be friends with their opponents and live comfortably.

This sport has such potential but the NHL gets it wrong all too often, especially this decade.

There should be a zero tolerance approach to fighting, meaning an automatic game misconduct penalty and possible suspensions for repeat offenders if there are no mitigating circumstances. For example one game for the second fight within a certain sufficiently long time period, three games for the third, nine for the fourth and so on.

This is painful to read. Our poor sport.... these rare fans are ruining hockey.

 

[Big Phil]

Sure emotion is a part of the sport and so I wouldn't want to be too harsh when it comes to spontaneous reactions, if you drop the gloves after a dirty hit then a game misconduct should suffice without any further suspension, but fighting has always been against the rules so the glorification of it has always seemed misplaced.

You just said it in your post, emotion is part of the sport as are spontaneous reactions. I always feel that the ones who wag their finger at fighting are the helicopter parents-type who have hand sanitizer in their pocket for their kids while the ones who enjoy the pure emotion are the types who aren't afraid if their kids scrapes their knee. Hockey is emotional, let's just embrace it.

 

[Big Phil]

These players are afraid to cross the line or even toe it.

Players want to be friends with their opponents and live comfortably.

This sport has such potential but the NHL gets it wrong all too often, especially this decade.

They do get it wrong all of the time. The NHL is terrible when it comes to marketing their game. There could be 100 hardcore fans sitting watching a game and the NHL will see a potential casual fan strolling by and bend over backwards to make sure they like what they see at any cost. If anything the NHL has always been that politician that will promise the world depending on the situation and who is in the room and then say the complete opposite to a different group of people. I have always said no one buys a product that isn't even sure itself that it would buy.

This is painful to read. Our poor sport.... these rare fans are ruining hockey

I think it is still the minority, fortunately, but it used to be very much a much a fringe opinion around the league. There was always a writer who was anti-fighting and such but they were overwhelmed by the majority. As you can see, watch the scraps over the last couple of days in the NHL or the Doughty vs. Tkachuk thing from last night, it is still fun to watch and the fans love this stuff. You can't lie to yourself that you like to see raw emotion explode on the ice. I know I do. I think people just need to let things go and let it happen naturally. They put too many obstacles in the way of this stuff. This is where the NFL gets it right again over the NHL. They've let the whole touchdown celebration come back. It's fun, let it go. If it means it riles up the other team so that they come back against you, well, so be it. Your loss. But at least there is emotion.

 

[idontusethisanymore]

These players are afraid to cross the line or even toe it.

Players want to be friends with their opponents and live comfortably.

This sport has such potential but the NHL gets it wrong all too often, especially this decade.




This is painful to read. Our poor sport.... these rare fans are ruining hockey.

There is a guy on the Hawks board that pretty much said exactly that. I've had him on ignore for months.

 

[Albatros]

You just said it in your post, emotion is part of the sport as are spontaneous reactions. I always feel that the ones who wag their finger at fighting are the helicopter parents-type who have hand sanitizer in their pocket for their kids while the ones who enjoy the pure emotion are the types who aren't afraid if their kids scrapes their knee. Hockey is emotional, let's just embrace it.

Should we also embrace other infractions that warrant a major penalty, boarding, charging, spearing and so on? I can't see why exactly fighting should be the holy cow among severe rule violations.

 

[JETZZZ]

Maybe if they start playing their rivals 8 times a season again there will be more hate towards each other. Teams simply don't play each other often enough to gain a true hatred for each other anymore.

I agree with this.

More games within the division will help build up the rivalries. Its harder to keep the hate going when you only see a divisional rival like, what? 4-5 times a season?
Once Seatte enters the league, that will make an even 4 divisions of 8 teams.

24 games against the 24 teams outside your division (12 home games, 12 away)

-This way, you still get to see your team play every other team.
-The plan would be to alternate home ice each year with the non divisional team, so you wouldn't have lets say, Montreal/Las Angeles at the Staples Center every year.

56 games against the other 7 teams in your division ( 8 games per team, 4 home and 4 away)

-This is going to make some rivalries/cut down on travel cost for the owners. Win/Win.
-Also, when a divisional rival comes to town for a game, it will not be for just one and then they fly off. They will play at least 2 in a row. Lets say Edmonton plays in Calgary Friday, they stick around for a 2nd game on Saturday/Sunday so whatever bad blood happened in game 1 is still fresh for game 2.

2 extra games remaining, where the most natural rivals within the division play, such as Boston/Montreal or Florida/Tampa Bay, whatever (1 home, 1 away)

24+56+2=82 games (I hope my math is right)

 

[The Professional]

The turning point in the last decade seems to have been the mandatory visor rule in 2013. In the seasons following the adoption of that rule, fighting went one sharp decline and virtually all the true enforcer types retired/got sent down. It's no surprise, that rule was meant as a big spoke in the wheels of the fighting culture.

 

[Magic Man]

The turning point in the last decade seems to have been the mandatory visor rule in 2013. In the seasons following the adoption of that rule, fighting went one sharp decline and virtually all the true enforcer types retired/got sent down. It's no surprise, that rule was meant as a big spoke in the wheels of the fighting culture.

I agree there is only half a face you can punch now. I believe you get a minor for removing the helmet as well. So, you have to try and aim under the visor. They're grown adults, I don't see anything wrong with letting them decide which face protection to use. They change the rules on a daily basis and they softened the league on purpose. They have to want it to change. If they always have fan support they may never go back.

 

[Big Phil]

The turning point in the last decade seems to have been the mandatory visor rule in 2013. In the seasons following the adoption of that rule, fighting went one sharp decline and virtually all the true enforcer types retired/got sent down. It's no surprise, that rule was meant as a big spoke in the wheels of the fighting culture.

I don't know, because this was just grandfathered in. Like the helmet rule back in 1979. Players who didn't have one on could finish their careers without it. Plus by that time so many were using visors anyway that it didn't really make a difference.

Should we also embrace other infractions that warrant a major penalty, boarding, charging, spearing and so on? I can't see why exactly fighting should be the holy cow among severe rule violations.

I think the difference is that these plays are from behind and both players aren't agreeing to it. There is a mutual consent to a fight. It's honest, to say the least.