Should The National Hockey League Be Without Fighting

What would the National Hockey League be without fighting? Over the years, hockey players have settled their differences through confrontations that have resulted in blood-stained jerseys and cheering crowds. Each team always has specific players that will fight during games to protect star players such as Claude Giroux of the Philadelphia Flyers, Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks. Without the enforcers, these star players do not have the opportunity to flourish in the game. Patrons of the NHL come to games to see all the action and fast paced play, but also the possible fights that may occur. Fighting has evolved into part of the game that will be there until the end.
Since the beginning

of hockey, fighting has been a part of the sport. As hockey progressed into a professional sport, fighting has evolved from being barbaric to a more controlled part of the game. This legacy has been what keeps players and fans of the game in love with hockey. Physical fights make everyone excited and drawn into the action within the arena. Fighting over the years has helped players develop better skills as athletes.Overall, fighting in the NHL has become less violent and more of a tradition.

Fighting is an important aspect of the game that engages both players and fans. It motivates teams to play on a higher level of defense against the opposition. Hockey should maintain the encouragement of fighting in the NHL for many reasons: the protection of star players, motivates teams to win, and there are set rules that referees follow when fights occur . On the other hand, there are some individuals who debate fighting occurring during hockey games because of the safety of the players and past occurrences that resulted from fighting. With hockey changing into a faster paced sport, there is a necessity for fighting during games and it should not be banned for future generations.

Star players are the feature of any National Hockey League game. Without these star players, hockey would not be respected as a professional sport. The star players are protected by teammates, known as enforcers, who take control of the game with a big hit or with dropping the gloves. These players are specifically contracted by teams for the purpose of protecting the elite athletes. The enforcers of each team know their role in the game as many of them are veterans of the league, that spent many years fighting for their jobs. The star players have an easier time navigating around the ice and scoring goals in order for the team to win.

The star players of the NHL are worried about scoring goals and getting assists.

When it comes time to fight, they have no idea what to do. This is where the enforcers come into play. Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star states, “If you take fighting out of the game, you eliminate the players’ ability to regulate the violence in the game. That’s what fighting does. It’s not gratuitous. It’s not to sell tickets” (McGran 1). McGran is stating that once fighting is eliminated violence will increase without the fighters. Fighting is created more for the players safety, rather than to sell tickets. The main focus of any sport is to protect its star players, if not there wont be any real reason for the

sport.

Sports feature many aspects that create the full game. In the National Hockey league, the elite players are what make the game. Without these players, the game will be nothing at all. Tim Panaccio of the Philadelphia Inquire discuses the importance of fighting being aloud in the NHL. Panaccio states,“If fighting were banned, however, how do you protect a Sidney Crosby or a Simon Gagne?” (Panaccio 1). Panaccio is saying that once fighting is gone there is no way of protecting the Sidney Crosby's and Simon Gagne’s of the league. these players are what the fans come to see, especially Crosby, who is the face of the NHL.

With the increasing speed of the National Hockey League, more players are getting injured from open ice hits and hits from behind. A players safety no matter the role is always the most important aspect of the game. This is where fighting truly comes into play, to protect those players that get hurt from a hit. Kevin McGran of the Toronto star summarizes what fighting does for the game of hockey. McGran states,“Fighting to me is the self-policing mechanism in the game to prevent the head shots, the hits from behind, and I will never vote to have it eliminated” (McGran 2). The author of the article is saying that head shots and open ice hits are the leading cause of elite player injures. Fighting eliminates the possibility of more injuries occurring in the game.

In order for hockey games to run smoothly, there has to be fights throughout the season. Enforcers do not actually fight every game. They only fight when it is necessary for them to start a brawl. John Jeansonne of Newsday quotes NHL Gary Bettman’s view on NHL fighting. Bettman explains, “It’s a part of the game. It’s a small part of the game. It gets far too much attention. Most of our games don’t have fights” (Jeansonne 1). Since the very beginning of hockey, players have always started confrontations on the ice. Hockey is a professional sport and too many people focus on the fighting instead of the actual game. Star players need the protection from the enforcers in order for to score goals and keep the games moving along correctly.

Although star players are highly important to the team, the team as a whole would not succeed without the energy from fighting. Throwing punches that have enough power to split open eyebrows have always added life to the versing teams, as well as the audience members. The crowd enjoys when two players drop their gloves and go at it with each other, blow after blow. Both hockey teams playing instantly become more enthusiastic and perform at a higher level. Every player pushes harder to skate faster and score more goals after a brawl. Each team is motivated to win the game and play a stronger offense and defense.

When a fight occurs, everyone on and off the ice feels the energy of it. It makes the players motivated to push harder and play better defense. Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star further explains further on how injuries are not as common as most people believe. McGran states, “But to be honest with you, we’ve seen more guys get carried off the ice with the hits from behind and the hits from beside than two guys dropping the gloves and getting a lot of frustration out and relieving the pressure” (McGran 3). Due to the level of intensity that is needed to play this sport, the players grow more aggressive as the game goes on. When two players drop their gloves, it is more likely not to end with blood. They hit and punch each other, but that is usually when the officials step in and stop the fight from getting too out of hand. Opposing players will actually plan fights in order to get the energy back up in a slow paced game.

Hockey is a high paced and high energy sport. Players look to anything to pick up the energy in the game whether its a big hit or a fight. Majority of the time, a fight will spark the teams to play a higher pace. Peter Chiarelli, the general manager of the Boston Bruins, spoke about the intensity a fight brings to the game in an article by Frank Seravalli. Chiarelli said, ”It’s not at the level where it's been in the media…I’m for it; I think it's deep-rooted in the game. I think it acts as a deterrent. I understand head injuries, I understand all that stuff, fully cognizant of it” ( Seravalli 1). Chiarelli summarized the fact that although fighting may be portrayed as such a horrible act by reporters, it isn't as bad and it has its place in the game. Hockey needs fighting to keep the pace of the game intense and energized.

Without fighting, hockey would be a dull energy less games at points. There are points in the game where the tone needs to be set and someones bell needs to be rung. these fights not only energize the players but also the fans. The fans are a main source of the players on the ice. When a fight breaks out, the fans are the first to be on their feet yelling and screaming for a victor. Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquire talked about how much fights impact the game. Carchidi stated, “When a fight breaks out, I don't see everybody sitting in their seats and looking away, Everybody's standing up and they're cheering; it's part of the game. You don't want to lose those fans; the league can't afford to lose those fans” ( Carchidi 1). The author of the article summarized the fact that fans absolutely love fighting in a hockey game. There is not a single fan in a stadium that would turn around and look away. Fans love fighting just as much as they love hockey itself, without fighting hockey looses it energy from the fans, which is something the players would not like at all.

The players of the league know that fighting is an important aspect of the game. with the intensity it brings. Players feed off the energy and translate it into a goal or energy to be used throughout the game. Zac Rinaldo of the Philadelphia Flyers is apart of the new generation of NHL enforcers. In an article by Sam Carchidi, Rinaldo explains his view on fighting during games. Rinaldo states, "I think there's 100 percent room for it. I mean, it's hockey. It's how I was brought up since I was born. In the heat of the moment, things happen” (Carchidi 2). When two players drop their gloves, everyone knows that the intensity of the game will rise. Players, such as Rinaldo, release the tension that is built up before certain fights occur. Once the fights are over with in a matter of minutes, the game becomes more alive and energetic for all.

Due to the amount of fighting that has occurred throughout the history of hockey, there have been set rules that referees follow when fights occur. Officials are instructed, as a part of their job, to allow players to fight until a certain extent. They stop the fight before it becomes completely out of control. They will stop a fight when two players appear to be going at each other too intensely. Referees also discontinue fighting when more than two players become too involved and begin a big group of brawling. The set rules of hockey that officials proceed to abide by makes fighting between players controlled.

Referees make sure that they stop fights before things get too bad. It is apart of the rules within the National Hockey League. According to one of the rules in the NHL, when two players are fighting and one of their helmets falls off, officials must stop the fight immediately. In the article by John Jeansonne of Newsday, NHL Gary Bettman summarizes the fact that fighting is penalized in the NHL. Bettman states, “First of all, there are penalties. There are no bench-clearing brawls. So to suggests there are no consequences for fighting is inaccurate. You are taken off the ice if you fight.” (Jeansonne 1). Officials will take action to make sure any time a fight occurs on the ice, players do not get too out of control. They take the precautions that are necessary in order for the players to be safe. Players that are too aggressive receive more penalty time and suffer more consequences.

People who are opposed to fighting likely look at the game merely as a battlefield. However, fighting is not all that hockey is. Hockey is a professional sport that has rules and regulations. John Jeansonne’s article about the NHL commissioner Gary Bettman address explains the meaning of hockey as a sport and it is not just about two players dropping their gloves. Bettman states, “This notion that you want to pick certain things and take this out or that out…it’s a living, breathing, dynamic. You’ve got to look at it as a totality. We’ve changed the rules on fighting all the time. We try to monitor and evolve the game.” (Jeansonne 2 ). Rules have been created in order for players to not get killed out on the ice. There have been injuries during NHL games. These injuries have too much emphasis on them. There is more to hockey then fighting. It is a professional sport that is regulated.

Taking fighting completely out of games would only hinder the sport. Fighting would still occur, and more players would be kicked permanently because of it. It is a natural part of the game. In the article by Kevin McGran, he quotes some of the people of the NHL that have been in the league for years. A man named Maurice in the article states, “I’m not a believer that mandating fighting out of our game would make our game better or safer,” said Maurice. “I’m glad there aren’t the 5-on-5’s and all that other stuff, like those brawls that are so dangerous.” (McGran 4). Over the years, hockey has been reviewed and has experienced minor changes within the NHL. Officials follow these rules specifically so that players will not get brutally beaten when a fight breaks out. Before these rules were instated, many players were enduring violent injuries that were unacceptable. Today, games are monitored and have better rules instated to prevent these injuries.

Before there were set rules about fighting, the National Hockey League had some infamous brawls within games. Players were beaten up very badly during these fights. These occurred during the early start of the NHL. Kevin McGran quotes Burke who is a member of the NHL. He reflects on the older games that were played during the 1970’s. Burke states, “I don’t want to go back to the 1970s and have three-hour games and bench-clearing brawls,” said Burke. “I think fighting is at the right level. I don’t want to see it go up, but I certainly don’t want to see it reduced.” (McGran 5). Fighting does not occur to the level that most people think. Fighting happens during NHL games. However, these fights are mandated by the officials and every player is taken care of accordingly.

Although there is valid evidence that supports fighting within the National Hockey League, there are still some people who believe that fighting should be prohibited from the sport. Hockey players are not only physically affected from fighting, but also mentally affected. Many spectators of hockey are aware of the statistics over the years about players who participate in fighting during games that experience mental illnesses. Some psychological effects of fighting consistently are mental illnesses, such as depression, and alcoholism. These effects not only affect the lives of the players, but also the family and friends of the players. The lives of NHL players are deeply affected by the mental trauma of fighting during games. If fighting were to be banned from the game, players would be less likely to experience mental health issues.

The main concern of fighting being allowed in the NHL is the major effects that it has on players. Majority of enforcers in the NHL has dealt with some kind of concussion or injury that set them back for a short time. Some of these injuries are more serious in the long run than short term. Concussions have been a major problem for players in the NHL. The medicine given to relieve the pain from the concussion have resulted in serious drug addictions amongst players. Sam Carchidi’s article in the Philadelphia Inquirer talks about the dangers of fighting in the NHL. Carchidi states, “Derek Boogaard, 28, died from an accidental overdose of alcohol and the pain-killing drug oxycodone, authorities said” (Carchidi 3). Depression from the amount of brain damage that occurs when hit in the head too many times can lead to horrible things. Men like Derek Boogaard feel that they have no other option but to turn to alcohol and abuse drugs because they are so deep into depression.
Hockey players have become more prone to substance abuse due to the amount of head injuries during the games. The dangers of the game affect the players on and off the ice. Many have reported dealing with painful psychological problems from fighting. Injured Flyers winger Ian Laperriere experienced such intense depression that he left the game. Sam Carchidi explains further in his article about the pain that players face when dealing with substance abuse and mental illness. Carchidi states, “Laperriere, who isn't expected to play again because of post-concussion syndrome, said the league should be more concerned about players abusing pain-killing drugs” (Carchidi 4). Players, such as Laperriere, feel the effects of these injuries stronger as they deal with their daily lives along with their own mental stability. More awareness needs to be brought to this subject and made known so players receive proper treatment.
For years, mental illness has always been a hard subject for people to talk about. In sports, people try to brush off the fact that athletes deal with injuries that cause mental damage. A majority of players try to hide the fact that they deal with mental illness. Jody Shelley, a currently retired NHL enforcer, talks about mental illness in sports needs to be talked about more openly in the article by Sam Carchidi. Shelley stated, ”Let's start helping each other deal with things verbally and make it OK to talk about things you don't normally talk about” (Carchidi 5). Professional athletes and fans alike need to address the severity of mental illness in sports. If it is not taken more seriously, more players will tragically lose their lives because of their daily battle within their minds and not being about to tell people about it.
In conclusion, fighting in the National Hockey League has its place within the game.

Hockey would not be the sport that it is today without players throwing a few punches. The history of hockey proves how important it is to teams and fans. Controversy over the physical and emotional pain for the players does not hold enough evidence for fighting to be banned from the sport. Players choose to fight and they are aware of the consequences that will occur after the battle is over. Fighting should not be taken out of hockey because when two enforcers drop their gloves, both of the teams star players are protected. Also, the fighting between the players motivates teams to play better offense and defense after the fights occur. Furthermore, fighting has become more controlled. Referees are on the ice at all times to make sure things do not get beyond out of hand. In the NHL, fighting should continue to be a part of games and have the legacy of hockey remain for generations to

come.