I do watch women's hockey, for the record.
- nated81

Alright but the notion that if you don't enjoy fighting you should just stop watching the NHL is a bit of a stretch to make.

Detroit is hella entertaining to watch, and they hardly fight.

Alright but the notion that if you don't enjoy fighting you should just stop watching the NHL is a bit of a stretch to make.

Detroit is hella entertaining to watch, and they hardly fight.
- Talkshowhost

But they still fight.

But they still fight.
- nated81

They also don't waste roster spots on talentless bare knuckle boxers.

They also don't waste roster spots on talentless bare knuckle boxers.
- Talkshowhost

You're right, Jordin TooToo has so much skill. A guy that played for Canada at the world jrs too, btw.

Don't get me started! If they take it out of the game, I'm done! I too, played for many years, and never instigated, but took a ten game suspension for retaliating a cross check. During the fight, my opponent lost two teeth and a broken nose. My coach asked me if it was worth it. I thought it was. After that, I had guys trying to egg me into penalties, which they got as I kept my cool, plus, I got a lot of space from guys who never knew when I would go off again.

Bottom line is, it changed the complexion of how others (team mates and opponents) treated me on and off the ice. I don't necessarily want to see the bench clearing brawls so commonplace in the seventies, but it has been, and should always be part of the game. It annoys me that the softest, most whinny players, complain about fighting. Go join the ice capades, Disney on ice, or play in Europe! I'm not going to defend cheap shots, or goons targeting elite players, but these are men that carry blades and weapons, and use them. It would give all the pu**ies like Claude Lemieux, Tomas Sandstrom, Darius Kasparitus, free reign to spear, slash, and cross check without ramifications.

People who want to speak out about eliminating it are entitle to their opinion, however misguided it is. I've lost all my respect for Steve Yzerman.

You're right, Jordin TooToo has so much skill. A guy that played for Canada at the world jrs too, btw.
- nated81

133 career points including a 30 pt season.

133 career points including a 30 pt season.
- Talkshowhost

a 0.25 ppg clip, right up there with Datsyuk and Zetterberg.

a 0.25 ppg clip, right up there with Datsyuk and Zetterberg.
- nated81

Jordan TooToo is a decent hockey player. 0.25 ppg earns you multimillion dollar contracts from the Red Wings. He's a good example of functional toughness.

From a players perspective I COMPLETELY agree, but these players are ultimately employees to the owners, and they by and large how a lot of day when it comes to protecting their investments.
- Colin Dambrauskas

Im sure the owners are very concerned about their league minimum goons being out for an extended period of time.

Jordan TooToo is a decent hockey player. 0.25 ppg earns you multimillion dollar contracts from the Red Wings. He's a good example of functional toughness.
- Talkshowhost

Tootoo is the definition of a cheap shot artist. Detroit would dump him in a second if they could.

If fighting is removed there will just be more Patrick Kaletas skating around hurting people. Unless the league is going to fine players in the millions of dollars, or suspend them for "seasons", the only way to regulate the dirty cheap shot artists is by having that big police man on the end of the bunch....or rather, in the middle of the bench.

If they want to fight let them, they are big boys and do not need a "big brother".

I could care less either way. I'm not gonna turn off a game because a fight occurs, but i'm not gonna tune into a game, that I normally couldn't be bothered to watch, because something happened last game that means this game is gonna have a game full of fights. Staged fights can go. Ask Rastins Ivanins if he regrets his bout with MacIntyre 3 or so years ago. Get rid of the instigator so teams only feel the need to carry 1 heavy weight like in the 80's and early 90's. Once that instigator rule came in teams loaded up with bulk instead of talent. Let a Shawn Cronin kick the crap out of a Ulf Samuelson for submarine hitting a star player. I'd love to see Tootoo or Clutterbuck have to answer to Steve MacIntyre for running a Eberle or Hemsky. But at the same time, I wouldn't stop watching if they eliminated the enforcers position by making stiffer suspensions for guys that do something like Kassian on Gagner, or Kessel on Scott. Eliminating the enforcer and Kessel wouldn't have been put in that spot. get rid of the enforcers, not guys like Clarkson and Lucic, but true enforcers like MacIntyre and Scott, and make it so after 3 "fighting majors" equates to a 3-5 game suspension deters the fighting, eliminating the "risk" of long term injuries or as common of an occurance of them at least. Still allows "policing" done by the teams, but gets rid of an unneeded position to be filled and a controversial part of the game. IMO if Shannaban had balls and truely felt that fighting should be moved out, he would have handed out a more substantial penalty to both Kessel and Kassian. How does a preseason suspension deter such ugly plays?

Im sure the owners are very concerned about their league minimum goons being out for an extended period of time.
- Gerk

League minimum goons, yeah sure, what the hell. Its not really those that will be the highlight of all this. It's your bigger players who fight out of reaction that, while great for the game, scares owners/GMs....such as last night, Lupul and Brayden Schenn drop the mitts, Lupul being a guy who dont want to see fighting often from an owners perspective.

You've got to remove yourself from the fan/player viewpoint and see these players as employees to team owners and GMs. They start getting knocked out by going head first into the ice, they are rarely getting back up. And all this is not to say that I personally advocate trying to remove fighting, but dont fool yourself thinking that those involved financially wont do something to remedy this as it becomes more and more debated.

League minimum goons, yeah sure, what the hell. Its not really those that will be the highlight of all this. It's your bigger players who fight out of reaction that, while great for the game, scares owners/GMs....such as last night, Lupul and Brayden Schenn drop the mitts, Lupul being a guy who dont want to see fighting often from an owners perspective.

You've got to remove yourself from the fan/player viewpoint and see these players as employees to team owners and GMs. They start getting knocked out by going head first into the ice, they are rarely getting back up. And all this is not to say that I personally advocate trying to remove fighting, but dont fool yourself thinking that those involved financially wont do something to remedy this as it becomes more and more debated.
- Colin Dambrauskas

Yes this is it, it really doesn't come down to what the fans like, or what the players think it best it comes down to the NHL not wanting to lose tons of money in a class action lawsuit.

Colin Dambrauskas: Steve Yzerman Speaks Up About Fighting, What About You?
- Colin Dambrauskas

in my view its quite simple you just add a must follow check list on to the rule of fighting such as both players must remove gloves and helmets, both players need to have jersey's clinched, players must be within 30 ibs of each other (or something to that effects), once a player is grounded no more shots can be taken, no uppercuts no tossing players to the ground aka hip tosses, and for every offence theres a cash fine and if the ref sees multi offence on the ice during the fight the he can escalate one player or both to a 10 minute penalty instead of the 5. The point i am trying to get too is make a stricter guide line don't eliminate it all together.