Ok, I’m paraphrasing here, but Garry Bettmen says that fighting sells tickets. It is, and has always been, a part of the game of hockey, and will therefore not ban fighting in the NHL. Well to Mr. Bettmen I say, Pfffftttttt!Fighting does not have to be part of hockey. While the NHL rule book, does have many pages dedicated to fighting, it doesn’t have to be part of the game. Lets think about when kids first start learning how to play hockey; they learn how to skate, shoot the puck, and how to give/take a check. They don’t learn how to throw a punch. Show me one hockey camp that a kid goes to with a clinic titled “Advanced Goon Theory 101.”
As for the argument that fighting sells tickets, well I don’t doubt that it is true in some cases. There are many people out there who would love to see someone get the living crap beaten out of them. Just look at those who attend ultimate fighting matches. But I argue that if you were to remove fighting from the NHL, you may actually get a better product as a result. Case in point, I hate regular season hockey. You get cheap hits, massive brawls, but generally you get a boring game. However, when watching hockey during the playoffs, ESPECIALLY during overtime, that is when hockey becomes a sport worth watching. During these situations, players skate harder and faster than they ever did in the regular season. Body checks against the the opposing team is to get them off the puck, not to drill them into the sideboards. Not only are the players more engaged in the fundamentals of the game, but the crowds seem to be more engaged as well. Each spectator is on the edge of his/her seat, each shot that is saved, is greeted with a massive, simultaneous roar from the crowd. To me, playoff hockey is one of the best sports I can think to watch, and if there are any real hockey fans reading this, I think they may have to concede that fighting would take a distant second place when compared to this type of hockey.
To help eliminate fighting from hockey, you don’t have to ban it outright; you don’t even have to make any massive changes to the rules governing fighting. Instead, simply impose a large fine on the instigator and an even larger fine on the team itself. Hockey players make a lot of money, Goons on the other hand probably make a pretty good salary (not tonnes, but a pretty good living). I think a $10,000 dollar fine for a first offence would be a strong deterrent. Add to that an additional $50,000 dollar fine against the team, and you might actually show a huge reduction in the amount of fighting you would see in the NHL. The Coaches, GMs, and and owners say they care about there players, yet have no balls to ban fighting, which would easily help reduce player injuries, but if they were forced to pay large fines due to a player’s fighting, I have a feeling that they would start taking a greater interest in their player’s health and well being.
One last point I would like to bring to mind is: If fighting is part of hockey, and is such an integral part of the game, how come Gretzky never fought?
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