Jared Crozier: Fighting Continues To Die A Slow Death In The NHL

Arguments for & against for having a gloveman are pretty varied.

Here in Australia our national sport is rugby league - very physical without the protection of helmets & body pads (although some wear a head protection & thin top body protection). Last year throwing a punch was banned & would result in an immediate 10 minutes in the sin bin or penalty box for you guys. Now players can still box on but 99% won't due to the sanction automatically imposed! The result? The game has become a very grubby spectacle, with niggling & filthy tactics by grubs. Our greatest spectacle the NSW against Queensland 3 game series has become an elbow on head spectacle in tackles, where the play is slowed down to a ridiculous speed.

Beware of what you wish for as most here including players want the punch-on back!

Guys like Rinaldo, Carcillo & Cooke will become the go to guys! Believe it or not in our game fighting would actually clean it up!

Arguments for & against for having a gloveman are pretty varied.

Here in Australia our national sport is rugby league - very physical without the protection of helmets & body pads (although some wear a head protection & thin top body protection). Last year throwing a punch was banned & would result in an immediate 10 minutes in the sin bin or penalty box for you guys. Now players can still box on but 99% won't due to the sanction automatically imposed! The result? The game has become a very grubby spectacle, with niggling & filthy tactics by grubs. Our greatest spectacle the NSW against Queensland 3 game series has become an elbow on head spectacle in tackles, where the play is slowed down to a ridiculous speed.

Beware of what you wish for as most here including players want the punch-on back!

Guys like Rinaldo, Carcillo & Cooke will become the go to guys! Believe it or not in our game fighting would actually clean it up!
- Aussiepenguin

Cooke is not a fighter, and probably more so the reasons you have fighters in the league. He is a cheap shot , sneak attack , rat. He is a coward and only fights when there is no way out.

I think the title is a bit off. Goons are being killed off. Fighting still and will always exist. The pointless fights between two goons are being eliminated by not putting them in the lineup (which you illustrated). This is great for the sport. Fights will and should still exist for heat of the moment situations. It will keep the cheap shots and stuff to a minimum. So a player who can play and fight are still needed.

However, once the games that mean more begin to happen (the playoffs), fighting disappears. It's not how you win games but it does help survive the long season.

I think the title is a bit off. Goons are being killed off. Fighting still and will always exist. The pointless fights between two goons are being eliminated by not putting them in the lineup (which you illustrated). This is great for the sport. Fights will and should still exist for heat of the moment situations. It will keep the cheap shots and stuff to a minimum. So a player who can play and fight are still needed.

However, once the games that mean more begin to happen (the playoffs), fighting disappears. It's not how you win games but it does help survive the long season.
- Gord_Wilson_2.0

This

No fighting in hockey is like taking tackling out of football...booooriiiiiing!

Does fighting dissipate as the playoffs go deeper? Yes, but round 1 especially has more fights than your average NHL regular season game I would say... but please feel free to double check that if you're inclined to.

Regardless, an intense game or "rivalry" (IE; "payback" game with expected fights) delivers more interest on TV and at the arena then your average BORING mid-week non physical match.

After 30 years of watching hockey, I can honestly say that I have next to no interest in watching this upcoming season. Maybe because I'm a Leaf fan and I don't buy what they're currently selling, but mainly because I really don't care to watch a bunch of Red Wing clones playing "smart" hockey.

There is a positive reaction to having a diverse group within life in general, and that goes double for hockey.

And to all of you fans who look forward to this NHL version of 'Dancing Divas on Ice' please feel free to find a loophole in Babcock and Shanny's contracts and get them the French out of Toronto. I'll keep Lou. He can stay.

Does fighting dissipate as the playoffs go deeper? Yes, but round 1 especially has more fights than your average NHL regular season game I would say... but please feel free to double check that if you're inclined to.

Regardless, an intense game or "rivalry" (IE; "payback" game with expected fights) delivers more interest on TV and at the arena then your average BORING mid-week non physical match.

After 30 years of watching hockey, I can honestly say that I have next to no interest in watching this upcoming season. Maybe because I'm a Leaf fan and I don't buy what they're currently selling, but mainly because I really don't care to watch a bunch of Red Wing clones playing "smart" hockey.

There is a positive reaction to having a diverse group within life in general, and that goes double for hockey.
- babcockblows

I remember the game after the Sens/Sabres brawl (Emery fighting Biron and Peters) was super intense. Made for a great game and a couple of good bouts that actually meant something. helped that the game was only a day or two later.

If the Leafs start winning games with the "Babcock model" you'll watch the games. Watching a loosing team with no physicality will quite depressing.

Jared Crozier: The Spatso blog: To Die A Slow Death as a lost and confused fan.
- JaredCrozier

Does fighting dissipate as the playoffs go deeper? Yes, but round 1 especially has more fights than your average NHL regular season game I would say... but please feel free to double check that if you're inclined to.

Regardless, an intense game or "rivalry" (IE; "payback" game with expected fights) delivers more interest on TV and at the arena then your average BORING mid-week non physical match.

After 30 years of watching hockey, I can honestly say that I have next to no interest in watching this upcoming season. Maybe because I'm a Leaf fan and I don't buy what they're currently selling, but mainly because I really don't care to watch a bunch of Red Wing clones playing "smart" hockey.

There is a positive reaction to having a diverse group within life in general, and that goes double for hockey.
- babcockblows

Good comment.

Cooke has been around, trying to end players career with fighting being here.
I don't particularly buy the Don Cherry argument at all. Dirty, cheap shots have always been dirty, cheap shots. They are just being remarked upon because fighting is in question.

If you want to end those kind of cheap shots, for non-hockey plays, then punish perpetrators with real consequences. Hit them hard in their wallets.

For particularly malicious plays (of which I cannot think of any specific example, to be honest), criminal justice can certainly be involved as well.
- Tangled

exactly

I remember the game after the Sens/Sabres brawl (Emery fighting Biron and Peters) was super intense. Made for a great game and a couple of good bouts that actually meant something. helped that the game was only a day or two later.

If the Leafs start winning games with the "Babcock model" you'll watch the games. Watching a loosing team with no physicality will quite depressing.
- Gord_Wilson_2.0

I find it humorous when the radio / TV broadcasters speak of the "great" Leafs v. Red Wings rivalry when discussing the games between the two in the last decade. What they really mean is the games and teams from the 90's and prior.

Babcock killed that rivalry and there was no passion between the two since he took over. I have partial season tickets and those were the first games I unloaded prior to the season. Missed nothing.

Good comment.
- ClarksonDavid

Cooke is not a fighter, and probably more so the reasons you have fighters in the league. He is a cheap shot , sneak attack , rat. He is a coward and only fights when there is no way out.
- VANTEL

I'm not saying Cooke is a fighter, I'm saying he is 1 that uses/used questionable tactics to make an impact. Those types will become more & more in my experiences here where we always had grubs they were just fewer because if someone wanted to make an impact they would just throw a punch - now they can't do that. Different tactics have been employed by more players.

Cooke has been around, trying to end players career with fighting being here.
I don't particularly buy the Don Cherry argument at all. Dirty, cheap shots have always been dirty, cheap shots. They are just being remarked upon because fighting is in question.

If you want to end those kind of cheap shots, for non-hockey plays, then punish perpetrators with real consequences. Hit them hard in their wallets.

For particularly malicious plays (of which I cannot think of any specific example, to be honest), criminal justice can certainly be involved as well.
- Tangled

The NHL is renown for its easy does it approach on offenders, only if you injure someone is it likely you get what you really deserve & even then I think it's too lenient.

Was it Todd Bertuzzi on Steve Moore the last time it went outside the NHL?

Chiasson 1 year 1.2 mil

I'm good with that

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