Why do they let NHL players fight on the ice?

[vinsane01]

yeah i really dont get it. i think someone once told me that they let them fight because on the ice, you can do really much worser to a person while theyre gliding, with a stick and with a blind side hit. so they let them fight to vent their mutual frustration for one another. but really its a pg-13 fight. theyre only allowed to use 1 fist apparently. not much you can do to one another.

That's the only reason i can think of as well. Think about it, the big difference hockey has from the other major sports is they play with skis and sticks on ice. When fights ensue the danger is possibly more severe than any other sport because of the environment theyre in and equipment they use. Might as well allow the players to vent their feelings using less dangerous methods. And im sure if you look into hockey's history you'll find a relevant and justified answer.

[bdreason]

Fighting in Hockey is used to protect your "skill" players. If they didn't allow it, guys like Crosby would spend the entire night taking cheap shots and getting manhandled.

[Styles p]

because its harder to throw a good punch on ice skates instead of flat ground.

[senelcoolidge]

I never understood that either, why do the refs allow the players to just fight. It turns me off from the game more.

[kentatm]

That's the only reason i can think of as well. Think about it, the big difference hockey has from the other major sports is they play with skis and sticks on ice. When fights ensue the danger is possibly more severe than any other sport because of the environment theyre in and equipment they use. Might as well allow the players to vent their feelings using less dangerous methods. And im sure if you look into hockey's history you'll find a relevant and justified answer.

nobody fights with a stick or a skate.

its hard to get a good shot in when you are on the ice anyway.

its very rare somebody gets a full on shot to the face.

[Crystallas]

Hockey without fighting is called figure skating.

[Sarcastic]

Yes. Hockey players aren't a bunch of p*ssies like NBA players are. NBA is always changing rules so you can't even play defense and superstar players get fouled when the other player barely touches him if he even touches him at all. That's why hockey and football are so fun to watch.

Tell David Stern to let the players fight.

[Lebron23]

Yes. Hockey players aren't a bunch of p*ssies like NBA players are. NBA is always changing rules so you can't even play defense and superstar players get fouled when the other player barely touches him if he even touches him at all. That's why hockey and football are so fun to watch.

Tell that to Coach Rudy Tomjanovich after he was punched by Kermit Washington.

[Nick Young]

because it's the only thing that makes this shitty sport interesting to watch.

[hammer2010]

Tell David Stern to let the players fight.

How cool would it be if instead of free-throws the players duked it out in the paint for 3 points after a foul?


Btw one of the arguments I have heard is that Hockey is a such a fast and physical sport that if players weren't allowed to blow off steam with their fists every now and then they would resort to using their sticks in retaliation instead.

[JtotheIzzo]

fighting is to keep the peace. without it, it would be left to the refs and some Stu Jackson type.

here is what starts a fight:
-cheap shot
-taking liberties with smaller skill players
-using stick as a weapon
-dirty hit
-acting too cocky
-showboating
-running your mouth
-f*ckin with the goalie

other contact sports allow for similar self-policing. In rugby for example you can 'rake' (stomp them and drag your cleats across their back or face) an opposing players who is cheating during a ruck.

to the delicate sensibilities of the uninformed fan it may seem boorish, barbaric or even something drummed up to gain popularity, but to those who understand the game it is an integral part of the culture of the sport and cuts back on more serious injuries that would occur if players knew they could get away with a malicious attack with only a penalty or suspension.

[InspiredLebowski]

Pretty convenient that there are specific roles in hockey to fight and when they literally kill themselves it's completely ignored. The hell is wrong with you people.

[Dolphin]

Pretty convenient that there are specific roles in hockey to fight and when they literally kill themselves it's completely ignored. The hell is wrong with you people.

Would rather be from a country that loves fighting in their sports than from a country who thought Rick Perry, Michelle Bachman and Herman Cain might be good presidential candidates.....see we just leave our stupidity on the ice.

[Balla_Status]

Would rather be from a country that loves fighting in their sports than from a country who thought Rick Perry, Michelle Bachman and Herman Cain might be good presidential candidates.....see we just leave our stupidity on the ice.

So why does Canada do everything we say then?

[Rake2204]

Pretty convenient that there are specific roles in hockey to fight and when they literally kill themselves it's completely ignored. The hell is wrong with you people.

I'm not sure I'm ready to say fighting is the direct cause of each of those players' deaths this past summer. Through years and years of hockey watching (though I'm still relatively young) I've never seen such a rash of deaths in a short period of time. I'd be more willing to call it an anomaly than a pattern. With that said, I do believe there may be a connection between concussions and depression and I find that to be a very real problem in the NFL as well as the NHL.

Directly regarding hockey fights, I admit I am very hypocritical. I love hockey fights. One of my favorite sporting moments of all-time was Darren McCarty's retribution beatdown of Colorado's Claude Lemieux. A year earlier, Lemieux had blindsided Red Wing Kris Draper into the bench area, breaking his jaw, swelling his entire face and forcing him to eat from a straw for months. Lemieux refused to apologize. So watching Claude get his that night in '97 was pure bloodlust. It was similar to that feeling I get when I see a YouTube video of some idiots trying to rob someone in a convenient store only to have a hero bust in and start handing out street justice. (The Lemieux Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOCXf...eature=related) (Convenient Store Street Justice: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zh1jI023_O8)

If I had to try to reason out hockey fights, I might begin with the unwritten rules established. 99% of hockey fights operate with a mutual respect. You fight clean, you remove head gear when possible, you mix it up with some grappling and fists, you move on. Within the confines of a glass-enclosed hockey rink, it's actually a relatively closed environment.

Further, as others mentioned, the idea of fighting while on skates leaves players sort of limited, and that helps. There's only so much they can do to one another. If I had to be honest, if fights were allowed in the NBA, where there's no boards separating players from the crowd, no unwritten fighting rules, often no mutual respect, and no skates, that seems to be a recipe for vicious, scary beatdowns where people's safety is very much at stake. How many allowable NBA fights would it take for someone to try to stomp on another player's face? One fight.

Each sport seems to have its own rules regarding fights. MLB fights are their own world, NHL fights are their own world, NBA fights are their own world, and NFL fights are their own world. Baseball fights mostly feature a lot of tussling and grabbing with little results (completely separated from the fans). Football fights most often occur with helmets on and a lot of tussling. However, when things get out of hand, they REALLY get out of hand (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNypDGoC_8M), especially when cleats and using helmets as weapons are involved. Basketball fights tend to have a high probability of spilling into crowds. Never a good thing.

Somehow, in a lot of cases, hockey fights, even at their wildest, are somewhat controlled. Even in that Detroit-Colorado fight, there's absolute mayhem, yet each player seems to understand that their equipment is not a weapon, they can't stab each other with skates, ganging up is not allowable, and each person squares off with a comparable opponent. Somehow, there's guidelines.