To Fight or Not to Fight

Fighting in hockey has always been a topic of great debate.  On one side there are the traditionalists who feel that it is part of the game and that to remove it would ruin the game and make it "soft".  On the other side of the debate are the people who feel that fighting should not be tolerated in any sport and note the serious injuries that can occur from fighting.  

The debate has been raging lately after the tragic death of Don Sanderson, a 21 year old kid playing for the Whitby Dunlops suffered a concussion while fighting in a game nearly a month ago.  Sanderson was fighting and had his helmet come off and eventually fell to the ice awkwardly and was knocked unconscious.  He was rushed to a nearby hospital but eventually succumb to his injuries and passed away.

After the tragedy the OHL, and other minor hockey leagues, have started to implement new rules to try and stop fighting.  One of these new rules is that if a players helmet comes off during a fight then the fight is over.  Suspensions are also being handed down for fighting in the hope that it will deter players from fighting.

In the upcoming GM meetings the NHL has asked that fighting be discussed to see if there is any way to improve it.  The question then becomes do people actually want fighting out of hockey?  The Don Sanderson incident, while tragic, is hardly the norm and removing fighting from hockey might remove some of its fan base.  While this is a reality it is also very sad as the NHL is such a poorly run league that if it were to remove fighting some people might no longer watch.

Look at the NBA, MLB, NFL or any other major league in sports around the world.  If two people fight in those leagues then they are suspended or kicked from a game where as in the NHL the players receive 5 minute penalties and can even fight again in the same game.  Its no wonder that the NHL is such a joke around the world.  To go even further does fighting really matter?  People argue that if you remove fighting it will make the game "soft" and that the Europeans will take over.  To them I say go back to your trailer and grab another Miller Light.

Whose favorite player is a fighter anyways?  If there were to remove fighting guys like Andrew Peters, Chris Neil, and George Parros would be out of a job and would anyone really care? The reason I watch hockey is for the goals, saves and hits.  I don't like seeing people glorified for doing something that is detrimental to their team and if I want to watch two people fight I will watch the UFC where the fights are actually good.  

So call me what you will but having people getting killed or seriously injured is hardly worth the 30 seconds of punching that comes along with it.  Fighting has no place in professional sports and it speaks volumes that the NHL wants to keep it in to keep its fans.  Maybe instead they should hire someone with a marketing degree and learn how to market their sport properly.