Red Wings GM Holland Not Opposed to Fighting

“I’m not against fighting. We prioritize that on our fourth line, we wanted hockey players versus one-dimensional players,” said Holland in a story now up on NBC SportsWorld. “Fighting is in the game. I grew up in an era as a minor league goaltender where, in the Western Hockey League with the Medicine Hat Tigers, where there was lots of fighting.

“I don’t have anything against fighting, I just want the guys that fight on my team, to be able to play. If you can fight, and you can’t play, we don’t have room for you.”

Under Holland’s leadership, Detroit has made 17 straight playoff appearances and won the Stanley Cup three times.

“You’ve got to play,” said Holland. “The game is fast. Nobody wants to take penalties. It’s a hard league to score in. You hope to get a few goals out of your fourth line. You hope they can eat some minutes off your top forwards just to rest them.”