Antoine Warnery , Staff Writer March 10, Unlike boxing, fighting is often illegal and frowned upon in many sports for obvious reasons. There is no use in people settling their differences through violence. Serious injury could result, and even if the issues are resolved, violence will never bring the same satisfaction as a peaceful solution however in ice hockey fighting has different connotations.
In the context of ice hockey, fighting has great historical significance, it is part of the sports strategies and tactics and is also a rich source of entertainment.
So when the National Hockey League season started in January, a controversial question was raised once again: Should fighting in ice hockey be allowed?
Technically, fighting in ice hockey is not allowed. In the NHL, fighting results in a five minute penalty minimum for players who instigate it. However, the sanction imposed for fighting is not as severe as in other sports. In most sports, fighting would typically automatically result in being expelled from the game, with the potential for game and lifetime bans.
Although in modern society and many sports fighting is not acceptable, in ice hockey it has historically been an important facet of the game as much for its entertainment value like boxing, one could argue as for its strategic value.
Fighting has been part of ice hockey since its creation. According to the Canadian Encyclopedia, ice hockey was first played in , and since , fighting has been formally regulated and accepted as part of playing the sport. In the s, the concept of enforcers became a huge part of the sport. Enforcers were not particularly talented players, but nonetheless they remained essential to the team.
Their role was to intimidate the opposing team, consequently throwing them off their game and protecting teammates from violence. The sport takes strategies from both individual and team contact sports, and, as such, a component of physical intimidation and ultimately fighting becomes essential to perform well in the game. Enforcers were also required to act particularly harshly against opponents who targeted goalies or star players.
In any sport, psychology is important. The enforcers, with their ability to intimidate the opposing team, were a critical part of a winning game strategy. Mostly due to social pressures, and to the dismay of many fans loyal to the tradition of the sport, fighting in ice hockey has been significantly reduced and is even frowned upon. Since the disappearance of the enforcer position, many games are now played without a single fight.
Louis in January for the first time since that hit, Wilson dropped the gloves with Blues defenseman Robert Bortuzzo in a fight that felt a lot more motivated by the Sundqvist hit than anything that was happening during the game. Wilson was engaged with another Blues player when Bortuzzo injected himself into the conversation and sparked a fight.
While most fights may start with players standing up for teammates, hockey has not completely lost the old enforcer mentality. It has simply evolved. The typical fourth line enforces of the past are gone as everyone is expected to produce in the current era of the sport, but teams also cannot be without someone willing to drop the gloves to defend his teammates. So when something happens, you go into Ottawa, you look at their lineup, it's a guy like [Mark Borowiecki], he's probably the guy that would fight if something happened.
There's that understanding. I'm not going to go grab someone else on their team like the young [Brady Tkachuk] kid. There's just that understanding. Because of his growing role, Wilson cannot simply drop the gloves against anyone just because they ask.
If you get a five-minute major, you could be in the box for 10 minutes because you have to wait for a whistle. It can be a huge chunk of time so you've got to be really smart about it. In , the NHL adjusted its rule on instigating a fight to make the punishment a game misconduct. In , the league further changed the rule giving an instigator a two-minute minor, five-minute major and a minute misconduct penalty. But saying no to a fight is not without its risks.
Refusing a fight when a player wants to stand up for a teammate or spark his team has its consequences. Joe wears the 'C' as captain, but he lets other guys share in the leadership role. Some guys monopolize the power in the room. Joe shares the responsibility. It's not about Joe. It's about the team and it's a big reason why the Avalanche have been so successful for so long. The book should be set to sell in about a month.
Keith is giving all of his proceeds from his book to the charity "Alex's Lemonade Stand. Mike Comrie for Alexei Kaigorodov. What was your reaction to the trade? Past, present and future journalists take note of Greg's e-mail question. Greg's question was short and simple, and asked in the proper how, what or why form. His tone was nonconfrontational with no trigger words to possibly make his subject defensive. He did not ask a "yes" or "no" question.
Any sideline reporter who asks a question longer than five seconds should be slew-footed to the sticky, dirty skate mat below. It's not about you, it's about the subject. Remember that, Sparky. I've never met Comrie, but the opinion of those who have been around him is that he is a selfish and pouty player. Those traits can be dealt with on talented teams who have Alpha Dogs like a Messier or Yzerman, but they can be destructive on scrappy teams like the Coyotes, who require an all-out scrappy effort every night.
That comes to about half a million a month. That alone is a win. The Coyotes are playing great hockey right now, but I would still keep dealing veterans to get younger players, draft picks and cap space down the road.
I know getting into the playoffs is important for ticket drives and bottom lines, but, long term, I would sell high now and reap the benefits later so they can make runs at people like Daniel Briere and Chris Drury.
My initial take on the whole "Vote for Rory" thing was that it was completely silly, it was bad for the game, and probably started by someone with no hockey knowledge. I can see now that some actual thought was put into this and it that Steve Schmid is a genuine hockey fan, even if he is trying to use the exposure to land a job with the league can't knock him for that. However, I am against the Rory getting the nod for one simple reason. All-Star appearances matter albeit unofficially when players are considered for the Hall of Fame.
Check out the awards section under each player. I can respect your position, Ben. What do you think is going to happen to Scott Gomez? Do you think he'll be staying with the Devils or should we being saying goodbye now? Lou Lamoriello is a magician.
He has a new arena opening up in Newark next season. The Devils are paying for cost overruns. Lou would like to have a player like Scott Gomez to ensure that he has the best team possible to get ticket sales off to a good start. The salary cap will go up a little bit after all the television deals are signed and sealed.
Higher rights fees are on the way from Canada, while the U. The Rangers might offer Gomez six years to increase their chances of signing him. Gomez is only 27 and has playoff experience. That's a real good free-agent signing. He is durable, likeable and an excellent playmaker I wouldn't be shocked if Lamoriello traded Gomez before the deadline if he believed he wasn't going to sign him to a new deal.
Since you are so good at analyzing organizational shortcomings, would you please weigh in on the state of the Flyers. Do you see their current situation as similar to St. Louis rapid fall with little sign of recovery or Carolina and San Jose tumbles followed quickly by a return to elite status? The Flyers are a tough read. A big key to their future success is what will become of Jeff Carter and Mike Richards.
Are they going to be high-end players? I find it hard to believe that Carter won't be an excellent goal scorer. There is so much to like about Richards. I would not re-sign Kyle Calder. The Flyers will pick within the top 3 of next summer's draft.
There appears to be no Crosby or Malkin or Ovechkin at the top of the pool in Columbus, but there will be good, young, fast players available and the Flyers will get a good one. I wouldn't necessarily trade Simon Gagne , but I would explore it.
You never know. You might get a good, young player or two, or a No. I hope the Flyers don't spend up to the cap over the summer. I would go young and see what happens. Believe it or not, I think it would be a very exciting time to be in the Flyers' front office.
First time, long time. Wanted to see if you plan on doing a column on Stevie Y's jersey retirement. One of the all-time greats, I was lucky enough to see his final spotlight at The Joe last night. Great ceremony. Anyway, I would be interested to read one of your columns devoted to Yzerman and his career. I prefer to look the future at this point. I know you are a big proponent of the shootout, and while I like it as a way to end a regular-season game, I do not think a tournament the caliber of the World Juniors should end their semifinal game that way.
On top of that, I also think a player should not be allowed to shoot multiple times, you should be forced to use your depth. A playoff or elimination tournament game should be won by hard work, not a shootout. What do you think? I like the shootout as a last resort.
But if you want to do it after three overtimes, I'm OK with that. And you might be able to talk me into a shootout after two overtimes. Please settle a debate I am having with one of my friends. If you were starting an expansion team and could draft either Anze Kopitar or Alexander Frolov from the Kings, who would you take? Great job with your column. We appreciate it overseas every single week.
For your "photo album," I have to send you a picture of my trip to Torino last winter. Canada was to blame on the ice, but we had big fun for the ambiance and the finest hockey games.
Here's some hope for the future Olympics! John Buccigross' e-mail address -- for questions, comments or cross-checks -- is john. Skip to main content Skip to navigation. Buccigross: The age-old debate of fighting in NHL. Pittsburgh Steelers. Irked Riley: Baylor timeout for FG breaks 'code'. Oklahoma Sooners. Rams' Woods suffers season-ending torn ACL. Los Angeles Rams. Gators' defensive woes persist vs.
FCS Samford. Florida Gators. Tennessee Titans. Holloway edges Rodriguez in thrilling UFC bout. Huff, hard-hitting HOF linebacker, dies at New York Giants. Going that route in the NHL, and perhaps considering suspensions, would prevent, or at least drastically reduce, ugly incidents related to fisticuffs. But there's no guarantee it would make hockey safer.
Many players and hockey officials argue that eliminating fighting will lead to a chippier game. It's not going to go up, but I think it's a central part of player safety.
In recent years the NHL has taken steps to improve player safety, mainly related to head shots. Rule 48 made hits to the head illegal, and suspensions increased to serve as a deterrent. Fighting doesn't carry the same standard. There were no rules in place to suspend Emery beyond a game misconduct and 29 penalty minutes, even if the league doesn't support a player landing a dozen punches to an opponent's head.
But the NHL has taken steps to reduce fighting without banning it. The instigator rule was instituted in to punish players who clearly initiate fights, leaving the bench to join an altercation carries an automatic game suspension and so-called "staged" fights are becoming less popular. That seems to be the consensus around the league. Current players would have to support rule changes that increase the punishment for fighting, and despite the recent public outcry most are in favour of keeping it.
Sabres captain Steve Ott fears that it would lead to so-called "rat" players taking over the game, while Chris Neil of the Ottawa Senators figures there will be more illegal stick work. Of course there would be fewer injuries from fights, like the concussion Flyers winger Steve Downie suffered in a bout against the Capitals' Aaron Volpatti.
One of the common defences for fighting is that it's always been part of the game.
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