Hockey Fights--Should Hockey Fighting Be Banned?

Hockey fighting has always raised a lot of controversy. At the present time there are proposals to ban hockey fights and "clean up" the game. Many people are of the opinion that fighting detracts from the game. Most of these people however have never played hockey and don't understand the importance of fighting in hockey.

If you ban fighting this may lead to more illegal checks from behind,stick fouls and other infractions. Fighting helps keep hockey clean. Hockey is played under great pressure and a fight can be the relief valve for this pressure.

Without fighting you could very well have anarchy on the ice. All pro sports have some element of violence and intimidation. Hockey is the only sport which has a way to deal with this by fighting. Two opposing team players have at it and settle the matter.

Hockey fans mostly enjoy a good fight. Some seem to go to the game hoping for a fight. Two things will get fans on their feet,one is a goal and the other is a fight. When a top skill player is slashed or elbowed the enforcer will take to the ice and challenge the attacker to fight. This is the way in which top players are protected from injury. The most wanted player for any team is someone who can score,make plays and fight.

Hockey is a game which is played at high speed and the players have sticks and wear blades. Collisions constantly take place. There are bound to be disagreements which may lead to fighting. The fighters are then given penalties and the game goes on. No one wants to see continuous fouls,slashing and elbowing but this is what will probably happen without fighting.

Coaches also use fighting to bring a team to life. If the team is losing and everything seems to go wrong for them an enforcer takes the ice to throw some hard checks at the opposition. This will of course draw a response in kind and almost inevitably a good fight. This may wake up the struggling team and gets the crowd involved in the game also.

Fights often happen out of frustration. A lopsided score late in the game will cause the losing players to start an altercation. Coaches on the winning team tend to keep their highly skilled players off the ice at this point and throw in the enforcers and tough guys for this very reason.

Hockey fights are quite different from other forms of fighting. They are absolutely real and players are trying to pound one another into submission. The player who can land the most good punches and who lands on top when they go down is the unofficial winner. Quite often there is a knockout although many fights end in a draw.

Another factor in hockey fighting is that the opponents are on skates and balance is crucial. A well balanced small player can sometimes beat a larger opponent who is less well balanced. Skates are a great equalizer in fights. The majority of fans,players and the announcers like hockey fighting. It has been a vital part of hockey for years and will likely remain so.
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