First, the disclaimer: I like fighting. Staged fights, heat-of-the-moment fights, try-to-spark-the-team fights, etc. A fight is a fight is a fight. Could my mind change later in the future? Sure, but for now it's firmly on the pro-fighting crowd side.
I tried. I really tried to stay out of this debate, but since it's basically hit the boiling point once again after the Orr-Parros incident Tuesday night, I guess I should enter the debate. What bugs me most about this incident being the focal point is that Parros' injury was accident. Orr slipped and dragged Parros down with him, as a result Parros hit his chin on the ice and suffered a concussion. If Parros had been injured the conventional way during a fight (you know, getting punched) then I can see the outrage against fighting.
No to say the anti-fighting crowd doesn't have valid points. There are good arguments against fighting. In this post I've picked out a few.
The Code is Pointless
This one I'll agree with the non-fighting crowd. I like the notion of unwritten rules since it can add to the overall game experience, but there is too many problems with this. It's hard to police the game from a pest that's a half-foot shorter and 60 pounds lighter when it's apparently taboo to fight outside of your weight class. The instigator does well enough protecting pest, especially since it isn't properly enforced (that's a discussion for another time).
It's a Matter of Player Safety
It's easy to cite the players poll that says 98% don't want fighting out of the game, and at the end of the day the players are the ones that are playing. I'm going to try a different approach.
In the movie Rush (quick aside, go see it, even if you aren't an F1 fan it is still a great movie) during the drivers meeting Niki Lauda bought up the point that he is willing to drive as long as the risk of him dying is 20% and not 1% more. This could translate to hockey, were the 20% would stand for the chance of getting injured (you can argue the percentage but for simplicity sake lets keep it at 20). So every time a player steps onto the ice there is a 20% chance of him getting injured, no matter the event.
Currently I'm unaware of any breakdown of how players get concussions, so the following is based on an assumption. Players probably suffer concussions more from hits (open-ice and along the boards) than fighting, yet the argument is only for fighting. If those people who want the game to be as safe as possible, why is the argument only about fighting and not the bigger picture?
No Momentum is Gained in Fighting
Yes and no. Justin Bourne said it best over on the Backhand Shelf blog:
...I would say the only time I really ever felt anything that changed my energy level was when a guy who doesn’t fight much got into it. That’s sort of inspiring. I do think going when your team is lifeless and losing that a fight can act as a bit of a defibrillator – any pulse here? It might not work – the team may already be cold on the metal gurney – but it’s worth a shot...
Of course not every fight (win or lose) is going to spark a team just like every shot isn't going to result in a goal. Obviously the most famous example of the momentum narrative is the Talbot-Carcillo fight during the 2010 playoffs. Momentum after fights are basically determined on a case-by-case basis.
As an aside, I think the whole momentum thing has to be observed by eyes and not stats. It just seems like one of those things that cannot be properly measured by numbers.
No Fighting in the Playoffs and Olympics
On the playoff front, did no one watch Leafs-Bruins last year? There was a fight in each of the first two games, and multiple off-setting roughing minors throughout the series. I will agree that there is less fighting in the playoffs because there are less games and teams are going to dress more offensively-skilled players.
As for the Olympics, it's the wrong international tournament to compare. Unlike the playoffs, it only happens in four-year cycles and I doubt many people in North America would care if the tournament was void of NHL players. The fair comparison from an international sense would be the World Championship since it's a yearly event that constantly features NHL players and (for 2014 at least) will feature the higher percentage of better countries involved (Olympics have 10/12 of top-ranked teams compared to 15/16 for the World Championship). The World Championship is, sadly, overshadowed by the playoffs. Which, as I just pointed out, does have fighting.
Eject Players for Fighting
Dumb idea. It'll be the players equivalent of fans leaving early to beat the traffic. It could also encourage enforcers to attack star players more as a tactic. If John Scott and Phil Kessel had fought, what team would suffer more? Now imagine that fight taking place at the start of a game. I'm sure the Sabres can survive without John “Hasn't Scored 10 Points Since Junior” Scott.
It's Part of the Game
This is a pro-fighting crowd argument, and yes there are some flaws. The biggest one is that just because it is a part of the games doesn't mean it should be. But much like the trap or the Boston Bruins, there is only so much that can be done to eliminate something without radically changing the game.
A Few More Comments
As much as it may pain me to admit it, fighting is getting phased out. It's a slow phasing but it's happening. The pro-fighting crowd should admit this just like the anti-fighting crowd should admit that fighting is going to take a while to go and not be banned tomorrow.
I might be getting the wrong impression but it seems like a bit of the anti-fighting stuff is only aimed at certain players (the Orr's and Scott's). Yes, fighting would decrease without them, but it'll still be around. If it’s just a role that should be eliminated, then I can think of a few roles that have a more direct impact to the objective of the game (scoring goals) that could be eliminated.
One thing we can all agree on: there are hockey games tonight. Enjoy!
Lineup Notables
Ottawa Senators vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
Ottawa: The Sens are healthy *waits for Spezza injury*. Craig Anderson is in net.
Toronto: Frasier McLaren (broken finger) and Mark Fraser (knee) are out. David Clarkson is suspended. James Reimer starts.
Philadelphia Flyers vs. Montreal Canadiens
Philadelphia: Chris “Yes, I'm Still on the Roster” Pronger (concussion) is out. Ray Emery will start.
Montreal: George Parros (concussion), Alexei Emelin (knee), Douglas Murray (upper body), and Davis Drewiske (shoulder) are out. Carey Price is in net.
Edmonton Oilers vs. Vancouver Canucks
Edmonton: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (shoulder), Sam Gagner (jaw), Steve MacIntyre (knee), Corey Potter (back), and Denis Grebeshkov (groin) are out. Devan Dubnyk starts tonight.
Vancouver: Nicklas Jensen (upper body) and Jordan Schroeder (foot) are out. Zack Kassian is suspended. Roberto Loungo will start.
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