John's Musings- Fighting

Fighting in hockey has been around for nearly 90 years.  Hockey is the only major sport in North America that allows and accepts fighting as a part of the sport.  While it is still "illegal" it is only penalized during the game, in most cases. In most other sports fighting results in ejections, often accompanied by suspension.  Back in 1922 or so it was incorporated into the game's rules and has been around ever since.  With all the recent rule changes about head shots and the growing concern about concussions the anti-fighting movement is growing.  However, it seems to me that it is gaining support with the more casual fans - those who have never played hockey or who don't have a deep knowledge of the game.  Fighting is so important to the game and to a team's success, not just in the NHL but at all levels of the game.

Oh goalie fights. Brett Johnson 1 DiPetro's face-0

First and foremost, fighting is a defensive measure.  Hockey is a physical game, without a doubt.  Tensions run high during the game.  During hard-hitting, close games one undisciplined hit can injure an important member of the other team.  If a team's offense is being stifled or the other team takes an early lead and has a huge advantage, frustration can lead some players, even good-natured ones, to lash out.  When that happens it's not uncommon for players to start taking runs at the opposing team's stars.  In both cases, the solution and prevention is to have an enforcer.  He comes out and lets the other team know that dirty play will not be tolerated and players need to check themselves and stay in line.  You're not going to go after Bobby Ryan if you know George Parros is right there to take you out...

Secondly, fighting is an offensive measure.  Going back to the other team taking the early lead: your enforcer comes out and fights their enforcer and (hopefully) wins to boost your team's morale.  It gets you pumped up and gives you an extra spark which (hopefully) will ignite the whole team into playing better and change the momentum of the game.

Third, fighting is retaliation.  This one isn't all that much a good aspect of fighting but it is an aspect, nevertheless.  One of the most notable examples of retaliation created a rivalry.  Way back in the 90s, during a playoff game between the Avalanche and Red Wings, Claude Lemieux hit Kris Draper from behind smashing his face into the boards (see the video below).  Draper needed reconstructive surgery and was out for several weeks.  The next season, in the fourth meeting between Colorado and Detroit, and the first game with Lemieux in the lineup, Darren McCarty went after Lemieux as revenge for what he did to Draper.  Eventually everyone on the ice was fighting including the goalies.  This incident created a major rivalry between the Avs and Red Wings which was very exciting to watch.  (I'm not condoning what Lemieux did, but it did lead to a great rivalry...)

Lastly, and quickly mentioned, fighting is a rematch.  Two enforcers went at it a few games ago and Enforcer A won.  Enforcer B wants another shot to prove himself, etc., etc. which leads into... Fighting etiquette.

In most cases, a fight between two players, be they enforcers or not, is mutual and respectful.  The players agree to the fight beforehand and almost never fight to hurt the other player.  Players who don't want to fight are never attacked blindly (unless, of course, they asked for it by doing something stupid like swinging a stick at someone's head or being Claude Lemieux.)  Fights often come to an end before anyone is seriously injured, and semi-occasionally break up before the linesman need to be involved.  If one player sees that the other player is injured they will often stop the fight out of respect for the other player.  Players also tend to not fighty dirty.  There is a lot of respect between players and no one wants to have an empty win.

The folks who want fighting out of the game, as I said earlier, do not seem to truly understand the need for fighting.  They've been swayed by the media who focus on bad fights and dirty plays.  ESPN is probably the worst sports media outlet for hockey.  On SportsCenter, there isn't a single reporter who understands even the basics of hockey.  The last time I watched it (meaning the last time forever) the reporter admitted during the hockey clips that she didn't know a single thing and just remained silent.  This is where the casual hockey fans end up.  They watch for basketball and football, see the bad clips, and think to themselves that maybe fighting should be out of the game.

Truly, fighting is at the core of the game of hockey and it should be, always.  It has been around since nearly the beginning of the professional league and is integrated smoothly into the game.  It is popular with the fans and the players and forever immortalized in hockey's history.

       That all being said, Alexander Semin should never fight again.

Also, Slap Shot was a great movie.
~John D'Aprix (GO RANGERS!)