The National Hockey League has a problem, but it’s not the one you think it is. For decades, a group of contemptible, no-guts, cowardly momma’s boys have been trying to eradicate one of the more integral and important parts of the sport: Fighting. Since 1922, the NHL has wisely allowed bare-knuckle fighting. This has had many benefits over the years. For starters, it’s given employment to hundreds of players who couldn’t otherwise make an NHL roster, except for the fact that they can beat a guy senseless. How else do you think Colton Orr and Derek Boogaard made it past the AHL? It also serves as a way to police the game amongst players. It prevents many dirty, dangerous, and cheap plays from happening. Opposing players know that if they try to do anything funny, there will be consequences. This policing has done a great job at reducing the number of on-ice casualties over the years. There’s also the fact that it’s one of the most effective, consistent, and reliable ways of changing the momentum of a game. It’d be like the NFL removing the onside kick. As a nine-year old Pittsburgh Penguins, I remember watching Maxime Talbot bait Philadelphia’s Daniel Carcillo into a pointless …show more content…
There’s no way to make hockey “safe.” There will always be injuries in hockey. There will always be concussions in hockey. There will always be violence. There is no way to eliminate contact from a contact sport. The players also know what they’re getting into. This type of thinking is the same slippery slope that’s ruined football. For God’s sake, they’ve already created no-touch icing and forced visors on everyone. What’s next? Sooner than later, the NHL will resemble the artificial farce known as international hockey. The rinks will be the size of a football field, contact of any kind will result in a trip to the sin bin, and all you’ll see is Patrick Kane doing 1,000 fancy dekes and moves that result in a glove-side save every