Fighting On Ropes?
By PIERRE LEBRUN, THE CANADIAN PRESS

It's time to look at the issue of fighting in the NHL, says the league's disciplinarian. Responding to questions regarding Wednesday night's incident with Todd Fedoruk, Colin Campbell wondered if it was time to bring up a subject that's been long debated.

"I think it's time to ask the question," Colin Campbell said yesterday. "I think you have to ask the question because of what's happening out there. It's incumbent on me, because of my position, to ask the question." The latest evidence in the case against fighting was Todd Fedoruk being stretchered off the ice Wednesday night.

NO NAMBY-PAMBY

Campbell is no namby-pamby. He used to drop the gloves in his day as an NHL player. But the NHL's director of hockey operations worries about what could happen today.

"I'm not afraid now to talk about the fact that we should look at fighting in hockey," said Campbell. "I think if you discussed this even three or four years ago you would have got pooh-poohed out of the game. "But now I think because of the size of our players, where we're at in sports and in life, I think we have to look at it."

It's going to be a hard, long battle to convince enough people, though.

"I think you're going to lose fans," veteran Coyotes centre Jeremy Roenick said. "As much as I hate to say it - because you'd like to think everybody comes to see the exciting players do their thing - but there's a large amount of people who love the physical, tough aspect of our sport. And fighting is a favourite of a lot of people."

Despite recent high-profile incidents such as Chris Simon's vicious stick-swinging or Jordin Tootoo cold-cocking Stephane Robidas, the game is no more violent today than it was in the past.

"I played when bench-emptying brawls were accepted and all too often a common occurrence," said Campbell. "I played in the old World Hockey Association one year where it was really dangerous because you didn't have the same number of players in your lineup some nights, and it became scary when you had a brawl and you had 2-on-1s. Just talking about it now, you can't imagine that would have ever happened but it did happen. I think all of hockey has really cleaned up that aspect of our game."

But what's changed is what people find acceptable.

"This year we've had two players carried out on stretchers because of fair, consenting fights that had taken place ... it scares you," said Campbell. "I think we, the players and the managers, have to look at this aspect of the game."

There is a counter-argument to banning fighting, however. Some players could take more liberties with the stars without fear of answering to a tough guy.

"I worry about what would happen if there wasn't a way to let out the frustration with a fight," said Roenick. "Because let's face it, there is absolutely no respect in the game anymore, with the way guys are taking runs at people and with the cheap shots and the late hits. Guys are getting hurt. If you take fighting out all of a sudden these guys are going to take even more liberties because they don't have to be accountable for themselves. I think somebody is going to get hurt more from a vicious hit from a guy not being worried that he has to drop his gloves and get his *** kicked."

NOTHING LIKE THE PAST

While Campbell worries about the current landscape, he still shakes his head at the violence of earlier eras.

"We'd put Vaseline in our hair so guys couldn't grab our hair," recalls Campbell. "Really, it was Slap Shot out there. Our game has changed totally."

And may one day, sooner rather than later, change even more dramatically.

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Pros and cons of eliminating fighting is discussed in this article.

Wiki has an article on fighting in ice hockey.

Here's a good read from the Globe and Mail.

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So what do you guys think; is it time to crack down on fighting in the NHL? What's in the best interest of the game?

I'm not sure how I feel about it exactly. I certainly don't csre for the staged fights, they seem pointless and I don't buy the idea that it's part of the game. If a goon takes a run at a star player, though, he should get a beat down, or at least understand the threat of a beatdown.

As much as I enjoyed it the recent fight between Belak and Janssen was a "staged"...Everybody knew they were going to fight and it seemed like something that would happen in WWE than in the NHL....I dont mind the odd fight that happens in the course of a game. However when the fight is set up(for example both coaches ensuring BELAK and JANSSEN would be on the ice at the same time) its not the same...Especially after the fight when they congratulate each other and almost hug and kiss...

I understand there needs to be a threat against the high sticking goonery but I think its time we got rid of fighting...

If fighting did not exist in the NHL, teams would not be able to protect their star players. It does serve a purpose and I would hate to see the NHL get rid of it.

Fighting should stay. If fighting goes, then the NHL will become more like the NFL. Star players will get injured more often, leading to rule changes so owners can protect investments. Hockey neds to realize that they play a different sport than the NFL. Hockey is my favorite because there is so much more emotion than other sports. Nothing makes me laugh at other sports more than when players act like little punks. Examples: Carmelo hitting a player then running away, Albert Haynesworth stepping on a guys head when his helmet is off, and of course those panzy bullpen pitchers taking a Sunday stroll in to a brawl. Fighting is still in hockey because it needs to be. If there wasn't a need for fighting then the "new" NHL would have eliminated it. Nothing makes more proud than when a smaller player sticks up for his goalie when he gets white-washed.

We've discussed this on different venues numerous times. Here's my solution to it:

Make fighting a five minute major, AND a game misconduct. The game misconduct is NULLIFIED if the fight occurs as the result of a minor penalty.
Remove the instigator penalty.

What this will do is eliminate the 'two tough guys agreeing to go at it' fight. It will also eliminate a lot of heat of the moment fights. Taking out the instigator, penalty, however, will allow policemen in the league to do their job. Cam Janssen runs Mats Sundin? Belak fights him, and they're both gone. But the Leafs dont suffer a penalty (which in this day and age of extremely efficient power plays could be a death sentence), but they send the message that you can't touch the star. If a guy high sticks you, doesn't get called, take it out on him. But know that you're both going to go. By nullifying the game misconduct if the fight follows a minor penalty, you remove the guy getting booted because he took exception to being elbowed, and a fight ensued immediately.

Would this give Mick McGeough a seizure?

Actually, I would write in another rule making you exempt from the
'abuse of officials' rule when it comes to McGeough....

Someone just needs to tell Todd Fedoruk to stop fighting. The two worst injuries this year has been him getting clobbered.

I think Colton Orr let him know.

Tell that to Kaberle?

Janssen didn't play another shift the rest of that game and even if he did he can still hide behind the instigator rule. The instigator rule needs to be abolished!

Please. I talked to Cam Janssen, as did many other reporters. When he was asked if he would do the same thing as before, his answer was unequivocably yes. He also said that, whether or not the Kaberle hit had happened, he and Belak would almost certainly have fought the other night in Toronto. Where the instigator rule comes into effect is with things like high sticks and dirty play that goes unnoticed and unpunished. It's the ability of the players to settle perceived wrong on their own terms. By the way, that definition isn't mine. It's Dave Semenko's from an interview a couple of years ago. He ought to know a thing or two about fighting.....

I'm sure he would! Of course he is going to say that. Why would he say otherwise?

The instigator rule takes away (hinders) the ability of the players to settle wrongs (late hits, high sticks and other dirty play) done to their own team. I would even say that the instigator rule facilitates dirty play.

Fedoruk's suggestion

LOL

That is about the worst response possible to people who want to remove "staged" fighting from the game. He was clearly still concussed when he made that suggestion .