Paul, Thanks for the interesting comment and insight on some of the pros and cons I listed. I think you make some really excellent points. I’ll be checking out your blog, particularly the stats on fighting and penalties that you mentioned, so you may be fielding some questions from me soon. -yb

NFL players miss games and weeks for fighting, yet in hockey it seems almost meaningless. Unless the referees determine that one player or the other is clearly “more responsible” than the other, there’s essentially no penalty (on their teams). Each player sits in the box for the same amount of time, and it’s a wash.

I have never played hockey, but have participated in contact sports most of my life including football and rugby. I love aggression and physical play, but something turns my stomach when hockey players get a free pass to bare knuckle pummel each other. If they are having a bad day they should suck it up and retaliate with the next legal hit the same way athletes in every other contact sport do.

Although the NHL has always allowed fighting, it is not a tradition. In fact prior to the 70’s fights were rare, and fought by the stars themselves. When the Flyers became the Broadstreet Bullies the game changed for the worse. In 1974-75 the players association asked the NHL to ban fighting but the league refused. By the end of the 70’s all of the teams were adding enforcers and the fighting culture grew. Today everyone who plays, coaches, manages or owns a team, and most NHL executives, all grew up in that culture.

Players do not police themselves, they exact revenge. Fighting peaked in the 80’s and 90’s and it was also some of the dirtiest hockey in history, with spearing, slashing, slew foots and finishing your check with an elbow to the head. There was no policing. I have stats from the past 12 seasons on my blog that show when fighting goes down, non-fighting penalties also are reduced. Teams that fight the most also incur more non-fighting penalties. Enforcers contribute to the violence, not control it. Artic Ice Hockey recently published some stats that show an enforcer gets 3-4 times more ice time late in the game when their team is down by 4 or more goals. That’s sending a message, not policing.

Saying that fighting is an outlet for emotions is an insult to any dedicated sports professional who has show discipline to get to the NHL. They fight because it’s tolerated, not because they need to.

It does attract fans, no question. But are they fans of hockey – fast paced action, the hard hitting and the artistry of the players. And how many fans are turned off by the violence because they think it’s wrestling on ice.

The fighting does raise TV ratings but it also impacts the leagues ability to attract sponsors. The NHL has been getting daily calls from current partners and sponsors asking about this year’s playoffs. McDonalds, a relatively new advertisor with the NHL, can’t be too happy with the media attention.

More info can be found on my blog at http://itsnotpartofthegame.blogspot.ca/