The game of hockey has progressed very much over the years and in that process fights have been questioned whether or not they should be part of the game.
Hockey fights are up by 20% this season according to the National Hockey League which actually keeps fighting statistics. If you ask me I think that hockey fights are adrenalin pumping, there’s nothing like going to a hockey game and cheering for your home crowd when one of your players beats up the opponent. So the question is, are hockey fights necessary?
Well to start you rarely ever see a hockey fight in our own Stanley cup or the Olympics the reason being is because the stakes are much higher and the punishment is much harsher. When you do fight in a hockey game you are punished you are sent to a penalty box for a certain amount of time. Most people argue on that part. In most sports if you fight you are kicked out of the game or suspended. But are you honestly going to tell me that you have never seen another fight in a different sport.
Baseball you have those players on the mound that when they get hit with a ball they charge the mound and they fight. There are even fights in basketball and football. Only in hockey are the refs standing on the side and letting the players swing it out. But they have limits if a jersey is pulled over ones head they stop the fight but if its and all out brawl they’ll let it sit for a while. According to the great Gordie Howe once a famous hockey player who played for the Detroit red wings says “if their weren’t fights in hockey, players would slash and cut more with their sticks”. What would you do in a sport that gives you such and adrenalin rush and you got checked in to a wooden board.
so to me hockey fights are a tradition, they are a necessary part of the game.