He also brings up the point that there is a divide between the talent of goons verses the average fourth-liner. Page argues that teams are now emphasizing puck possession. “If you’re considering entering the NHL’s great fighting debate, save your breath for the eulogy - fighting’s already dying.” writes Page. That is a decrease of 46%, a huge decrease in fights over the past five seasons.Īccording to a 2013 Sports Illustrated article written by Sam Page There is no reason to ban fighting in the NHL because its worst aspects are already fading away. In the 2014-2015 season, there was a total of 1230 games played with 331 fights. According to in the 2009-2010 season out of 1230 games, there was a grand total of 714 fights. Statistics have shown that fighting has decreased over the last five years during the regular season.
We will explore both sides of the argument. The biggest arguments being the high possibility of a head injury, sportsmanship, and the fact that other leagues in Europe, the NCAA, the International Ice Hockey Federation, and the Olympic Games, have banned fighting. However in recent years fighting has decreased and people are questioning more and more whether it should be a part of the game. These are some of the more common arguments people use in favor of fighting.
COLUMBUS, Ohio – There is an old Rodney Dangerfield routine that goes “I went to a boxing match and a hockey game broke out.” Fighting has been a part of the game of hockey for decades “It get’s both teams fired up to play harder,” “It prevents people from making dangerous penalties that could cause injury.”