Christy Gets Academic About Keeping Fighting in the NHL
Christy, from Behind the Jersey, who recently conversed with Bill Daly about fighting (and me too), posted her paper on why fighting needs to remain in the NHL over at Kukla’s Korner.
It’s a lengthy piece, and a good read with some research behind it.
On November 22, 2006, hockey fans attending the Atlanta Thrashers and Washington Capitals game were privileged to watch the emotionally charged contest turn into a game with 176 penalty minutes including 10 fighting majors with a little over a minute left in the game (“Game summary”). As a result, the attendance at the next game increased from the previous sub par level of 11,284 people to just over 15,000, fueling the debate about fighting and its place within the NHL. Since the inception of the NHL in 1917, fighting has always played a role in the sport but has seen a steady decline since the 1980s. Games like this one have caused fans, players, coaches, and the media to question the future of fighting in the sport and whether it innately and ethically belongs in the game. Many of the hardcore fans, myself included, believe that fighting is a crucial ingredient to the value of the sport.
