Ban Fights in the NHL?

[jwmann2]

This maybe an obvious question but I still want to hear your thoughts. A college basketball player punched another player (Cincinnati vs. Xavier) this season and looked at criminal charges. Two NHL players get into a fist fight and they are applauded and respected.
If the NHL were to ban fights, would the league's attendance drop overall? The NHL has recently eclipsed the NBA in terms of popularity and the Blackhawks draw as many fans as the Bulls do. The checks and the hard hits only add to the game's appeal as well. Thoughts?

[I like Boobs]

I think you're in the wrong forum to be posting this blurb. Try doing a little research. There's a sticky right above this thread - * Only current NHL fights go here. Please take the time to read the rules. Thank you.

Your thread is now in the proper forum. I would think that the answer as you mentioned is glaringly obvious. Enjoy the site, please remember to read all the stickies and rules.

[farcyde21]

Are you saying the NCAA looked at criminal charges for the 2 players or that one of the players tried to get the other one arrested? Either way thats ridiculous. In the NHL, the players know they are going to fight and they go into it (most often) willingly. So afterwards neither player is going to call the cops and press charges (unless of course he gets his skull caved in after he's lying unconscious on the floor). If the NHL were to try to press charges I think it would be more of a side-show than the OJ Simpson trial.

[FurnaceFace]

two different sports. before i go off on a rant, i'd like to hear your opinion on what do u think.

[straka91]

They wont outright ban it, the NHL will implement harsher penalties to render fighting useless. Its matter of when not if sadly. There is talk of reducing the amount of fights a player can have each game down to 2 instead of 3 before getting a gamer.

[itsJ.Millertime]

If you asked me this a few years ago I would have said no way they do it but I no longer feel that way. Hockey has changed the culture of the sport not only in the players, coaches and gms but in the fans as well and it now sits as a sport that very well could outlaw fighting within the next few years.

This is a fight site and many fans on here applaud when players are suspended, downgrade what they call "goons" and their benefits to a team, many don't understand the history of the sport or the importance of fighting throughout that history. Sad but true fact that not only has the sport changed tremendously but so have the sports fans and it has changed for the worse.

I think most hard core hockey fans and especially fans of hard hitting, intesnse and aggresive hockey have already left this sport for dead. I see very few names from when I first joined this site still posting here and those knowledgable fight and hockey fans have been replaced by the type of fan that wants to see guys booted for hard clean hits that lead to injury (hits that have been a part of the sport since day 1 I might add) and don't like to see things like brawls or players continuing a fight once a players gone to the ice or is at a disadvantage.

Today's so called hockey fan enjoys a shootout more than a fight, a fancy pass more than a hard hit, a slick skating winger than a slower, plodding one who plays a physical game and would never tolerate the type of hockey played back in the 70's or 80's when the sport was at it's best. They say things like "he hurt our team" when a player takes a penalty for an aggresive play or instigating a fight, they say things like "he's too important to the team to fight" when the guy's supposed to be a power forward or captain who is supposed to fight more than 3 times a year and they think players like Gillies, Lessard and MacIntyre have no place in the sport.

I think the majority of today's so called hockey fans wouldn't even care if fighting were banned. If they like fights and hard hitting action in their sport their not watching hockey anymore anyway so I don't think attendence would take that big a hit and the tv ratings are a joke as the league regularly draws less viewers than not only all the other major sports (college and pro level)but "niche sports" like golf, gymnastics and nascar racing as well so it really can't go much lower.

Bottom line is the sport sucks now and so does the majority of it's fans so yes I think there is a very, very good chance fighting will be banned (and much of what little physical play remains as well) at the nhl level within a very few short years and in time could be banned in the minor leagues as well.

[Lucy Brown]

The NHL wont die if they ban fighting but it will suffer. The NHL will never get any more popular than it is now weather there are more fights or none. Look how hard they have tried to pound soccer into North America. Even with the amount of kids that now play youth soccer and all the immigrants in US that come from soccer loving countries it just wont take hold here. It is what it is and hockey is the same way. Hockey is in a funk that has been going on for years. I dont see anyway it will turn it around and suddenly grow in popularity. The powers that be may have already figured out that this sport wont be hurt by banning fighting and it may be only a matter of time before they do. There is no huge upside to fighting these days only a huge possible downside if a death occurs on the ice due to a fight.

[chilly666]

Originally Posted by farcyde21

Are you saying the NCAA looked at criminal charges for the 2 players or that one of the players tried to get the other one arrested? Either way thats ridiculous.

some attorney in hamilton county (ohio) wanted to look at the video to see if charges were warranted...but nothing came of it.

[itsJ.Millertime]

Originally Posted by Lucy Brown

The NHL wont die if they ban fighting but it will suffer. The NHL will never get any more popular than it is now weather there are more fights or none. Look how hard they have tried to pound soccer into North America. Even with the amount of kids that now play youth soccer and all the immigrants in US that come from soccer loving countries it just wont take hold here. It is what it is and hockey is the same way. Hockey is in a funk that has been going on for years. I dont see anyway it will turn it around and suddenly grow in popularity. The powers that be may have already figured out that this sport wont be hurt by banning fighting and it may be only a matter of time before they do. There is no huge upside to fighting these days only a huge possible downside if a death occurs on the ice due to a fight.

Sadly a lot of this statement does apply today but I grew up watching a different form of hockey from around 1976 when the sport did actually GROW in popularity. By the late 80's hockey was giving the NBA a serious challenge as the country's 3rd favorite sport.

I don't know when you started following the sport but I can tell you from the mid 70's to late 80's hockey was wonderful blend of everything a sports fan could want. If pure skill and speed is what you liked you had guys like Guy LaFleur, Bobby Orr, Wayne Gretzky, Marcel Dionne, Mike Bossy and tons of other guys that still hold scoring records today and are considred among the most skilled players ever.

If it was toughness and aggresiveness you liked you had hard hitting action, tons of fights, bench clearing brawls, an intensity level you could feel just walking into a stadium and a healthy amount of animosty between players. Guys like Dave Schultz, Nick Fotiu, Terry O'Reilly, Bob Probert and hundreds of others patroled their ice with an intesity not seen in todays game ready to drop the mitts at a single moment.

Guys like Bobby Nystrom, Paul Holmgren, Dave Taylor, Rick Tocchet, Scott Stevens, Cam Neely, Wendell Clark, Al Secord and many others played with both a high skill level and a high amount of tougness which resulted in long, lengendary careers and in some cases hall of fame careers.

Coaches and GMs in those days were different as well. Very seldom did you see "no fight orders" coming from coaches and if a team felt bullied or felt it had been taken advantage of you could be rest assured that there would be a call up of toughnes from the minor leagues by the GM for the next game and you would have a fight filled affair that would have fans talking for weeks. Quotes like "if you can't beat em in the alley you can't beat em on the ice" and "if it's fancy skating they want, let em watch the ice capades" were common speak for coaches and gms in those days.

Fans flocked to the stadiums in those days and it was nearly impossible to get tickets to the Boston Garden, MSG or Philadelphia Spectrum. New teams and even new leagues were sprouting up everywhere. TV and radio exposure was being expanded while new contracts were being written. The sport was growing because it was a great blend of skill, speed, toughness, intensity and yes violence. But sadly it turned around the late 80's when pressure from the media started forcing the issue and first brawls were banned, then the instigator came in and then the death knell was tolled and Gary Bettyman was hired as commisioner. It has been all downhill since and now hockey sits where it does, as a sport very few care about and even fewer watch.

So when you say there's no way it can be turned around I have to disagree becaue I was there watching it when it was "turned around" and it was growing in popularity. It's taken Bettyman almost 20 years to destroy the sport and it may well take many years to get it back but it can be done, I've seen it happen before!

[BROKEN*ORBITAL]

Originally Posted by itsJ.Millertime

back in the 70's or 80's when the sport was at it's best.

Originally Posted by itsJ.Millertime

I don't know when you started following the sport but I can tell you from the mid 70's to late 80's hockey was wonderful blend of everything a sports fan could want.

I'm curious about your apparent disdain for 90's and pre-lockout 000's hockey? You keep mentioning the 70's and 80's as glory years, yet ignore 2 other eras that were amazing in their own right, and nothing like the hockey we see today.

I think hockey died post lockout, not after 1989.

[glovesdroppa]

Originally Posted by jwmann2

This maybe an obvious question but I still want to hear your thoughts. A college basketball player punched another player (Cincinnati vs. Xavier) this season and looked at criminal charges. Two NHL players get into a fist fight and they are applauded and respected.
If the NHL were to ban fights, would the league's attendance drop overall? The NHL has recently eclipsed the NBA in terms of popularity and the Blackhawks draw as many fans as the Bulls do. The checks and the hard hits only add to the game's appeal as well. Thoughts?

I dont even know why I'm responding to this, but....
that dude on cincy suckerpunched the other player who was coming to break up a fight and almost instigated a riot. Also, as much I would like to think it, the nhl has not eclipsed the nba in popularity in america. if you are going to argue for a point, gets some facts that actually back your opinion up.

[bigty]

I don't know why, but I have a gut feeling that there will be radical changes in the years to come. I would look for them to get "creative" to continue to tone down fighting, like making it an automatic 10 minute major instead of 5, instigator is an auto ejection, etc...

I also wouldn't be surprised if they did some stupid **** like mandate visors, then eject players who take off their helmets for a fight.

[FurnaceFace]

bann fighting in the NHL? NO.

At first i didnt want to go off the handle. it seems everywhere we turn, there is someone beaking off about how bad fighting is within the NHL. Media saying this and that and pointing the finger at the fights. Mostly blaming the concussions and recent hockey deaths due to the fights. some of the media going off about getting rid of enforcers and fighting in general are knowable guys about the sport. However at times seem completely clueless in other aspects of the game. Then you have general people who are new to hockey, and dont know the history of the sport and compare hockey to other sports such as the first post in this thread. i was reluctant to post because i see a guy or girl come in a make a thread with 2 total post. with the growing popularity of hockey and this web-site, i am still not sure what to think. so rather than not say anything at all , incase we do have a new hockey fans perhaps educating the people rather than turning away is the best answer. We've all seen the Tony Gallagher vs Shawn Thornton. which is another example how some people dont understand the sport completely. Tony is good at what he does from time to time and other times you cant believe the garbage coming out of his mouth. Every Hockey city has atleast one or more of these guys. I do think we need more pro fighting advocates in the media. society is part to blame , everyone seems to know whats best for everyone else, and as long as you have a voice someone will hear it. fighting will stay. we are currently in the Dark era of our sport. a few years back they added the instagor penalty. the first time it was called it was on none other than Hockeys hero wayne gretzky and shane doan . the NHL got together and decided that the rule only applied on a case by case basis. Voided the suspension on doan and the fine coach gretzky would have to pay. the rule is still around but hasnt been called in how long??im talking suspension and fine. now they are talking of just getting rid of it all together. Players are suffering more injuries than ever before, and no its not because technology is better and we are able to tell symtoms earlier. you will see fighting will result in less injuries. Coaches GM's and players all have to get on board. it might be a little while longer ... not sure how many more players have to get hurt , but it will change and fighting numbers will climb again. now i jumped all over the place there, and probably didnt give alot of insight. you jusy get tired of fighting the same fight. but the more people know about the history of our sport and feel the emotion we all do, opinions may or may not change for the better. as long as they take each sport for what it is and respect what each game is about. As i said more fighting advocates that are well respected not hipocrates. it was probably a year ago i was watching a sports show where two guys would debate issues in the NHL. One night this guy was pro-fighting the very next night was contradicting everything he said the night before. people dont need to be hearing mixed messages, and more often than not one person will gather followers and just go off someones word, not knowing or able to form an opinion for themselves.

[Sharpsfan]

Originally Posted by bigty

I also wouldn't be surprised if they did some stupid **** like mandate visors, then eject players who take off their helmets for a fight.

I have always wondered how a player can rip off another players helmet when they are mandated by the league , i mean if they mandate you wear a helmet im stumped as to why players dont get fined for taking off helmets and more surprised they dont get fined for taking off someone elses safety equipment.

i could see it being interpreted as intent to injure . not that i agree with it but when it comes to beurocaracy "SP" nothing makes sense anyways.

[headhunter55]

Originally Posted by itsJ.Millertime

Sadly a lot of this statement does apply today but I grew up watching a different form of hockey from around 1976 when the sport did actually GROW in popularity. By the late 80's hockey was giving the NBA a serious challenge as the country's 3rd favorite sport.

I don't know when you started following the sport but I can tell you from the mid 70's to late 80's hockey was wonderful blend of everything a sports fan could want. If pure skill and speed is what you liked you had guys like Guy LaFleur, Bobby Orr, Wayne Gretzky, Marcel Dionne, Mike Bossy and tons of other guys that still hold scoring records today and are considred among the most skilled players ever.

If it was toughness and aggresiveness you liked you had hard hitting action, tons of fights, bench clearing brawls, an intensity level you could feel just walking into a stadium and a healthy amount of animosty between players. Guys like Dave Schultz, Nick Fotiu, Terry O'Reilly, Bob Probert and hundreds of others patroled their ice with an intesity not seen in todays game ready to drop the mitts at a single moment.

Guys like Bobby Nystrom, Paul Holmgren, Dave Taylor, Rick Tocchet, Scott Stevens, Cam Neely, Wendell Clark, Al Secord and many others played with both a high skill level and a high amount of tougness which resulted in long, lengendary careers and in some cases hall of fame careers.

Coaches and GMs in those days were different as well. Very seldom did you see "no fight orders" coming from coaches and if a team felt bullied or felt it had been taken advantage of you could be rest assured that there would be a call up of toughnes from the minor leagues by the GM for the next game and you would have a fight filled affair that would have fans talking for weeks. Quotes like "if you can't beat em in the alley you can't beat em on the ice" and "if it's fancy skating they want, let em watch the ice capades" were common speak for coaches and gms in those days.

Fans flocked to the stadiums in those days and it was nearly impossible to get tickets to the Boston Garden, MSG or Philadelphia Spectrum. New teams and even new leagues were sprouting up everywhere. TV and radio exposure was being expanded while new contracts were being written. The sport was growing because it was a great blend of skill, speed, toughness, intensity and yes violence. But sadly it turned around the late 80's when pressure from the media started forcing the issue and first brawls were banned, then the instigator came in and then the death knell was tolled and Gary Bettyman was hired as commisioner. It has been all downhill since and now hockey sits where it does, as a sport very few care about and even fewer watch.

So when you say there's no way it can be turned around I have to disagree becaue I was there watching it when it was "turned around" and it was growing in popularity. It's taken Bettyman almost 20 years to destroy the sport and it may well take many years to get it back but it can be done, I've seen it happen before!

Best post in years...its true, i see guys on this site asking for suspensions all the time, breaks my heart