Why isn't fighting in hockey--banned?

[pnewton]

One is part of (or the whole) sport; the other is simply street violence.

So if fighting in the stands is part of soccer, that should be allowed? I guess I consider sucker punching and cheap-shotting too much geared toward pansies and whimps to be a real sport. If fighting is part of hockey, it should be written into the rules, ala Rollerball, of it should not be tolerated. That might be a good sport. Rollerpuck.

 

[He_Man]

So if fighting in the stands is part of soccer, that should be allowed? I guess I consider sucker punching and cheap-shotting too much geared toward pansies and whimps to be a real sport. If fighting is part of hockey, it should be written into the rules, ala Rollerball, of it should not be tolerated. That might be a good sport. Rollerpuck.

It isn’t “tolerated” (hence, penalty boxes, ejections, etc.), but it isn’t a crime.

You may not like it, but it is part of the sports. When athletes over step their bounds (Jose Offerman swinging a bat in a fight, or Frankie Francisco tossing a chair into the stands), they are dealt with criminally. Buy and large, these sports police thier violence quite well.

And that doesn’t even touch on sports like boxing and Mixed Martial arts, which are based ON fighting. However, the intent is to win with strategy, not intentionally injure your opponent. The first ever death in MMA occured last year (after existing for decades), and it was post fight; the guy died from head trauma. It is actually quite safe.

 

[JW10631]

I’m not usually one for generalizing, but I have yet to meet and maintain a friendship with someone who loves Hockey. My experience has been with these types a certain neanderthol way of life. We dont jive at all. I despise Hockey, dont consider it a sport at all…instead its a reason for brutality on ice. If ya wanna fight, be a boxer. Hockey disgusts me…not because of fighting, but because it has no place in the game. I feel sorry and also have some contempt for those who enjoy hockey fights and thinks its “part of the game”

CH Catholic, my name is JW10631, fellow Neanderthal hockey fan.

There is no organized team sport that demands more of its players than hockey. Hockey players must play offense and defense. They must play with fewer players on a side during a power play. They must master ice skating and learn to handle a puck without looking at it.

No other sport requires as much effort, dedication and skill.

Fighting is such a small part of the game of pro hockey it’s barely worth discussing. It isn’t as if a bench clearing fight happens ever game, or even every season for that matter.

 

[JW10631]

Hockey has had some very ugly incidents, but hockey is not alone in that regard.

Todd Bertuzzi was charged criminally, and he wasn’t the first player so charged. Chris Simon, of the New York Islanders, has been, at times, a very dirty player. In his last incident, he stepped on a Pittsburgh Penguin who had fallen on the ice.

In 1979, the Boston Briuns responded to hecklers at Madison Square Garden and stormed into the stands. An ugly brawl ensued.

But, hey, what about soccer, the world’s favorite sport (outside of Canada and the USA, who find it a cure for insomnia)? there was that French chap Zidane, who head-butted the Italian player into semi-consciousness. Let’s not forget the all-too-frequent riots in the stands.

Unfortunately, hockey fights get more attention in the American media than the game itself, and this is because of a built-in bias towards the game by much of the American sports media, who generally prefer basketball and consider hockey to be both a foreign sport and one that takes too much attention to follow.
This doesn’t exist in American cities that have an NHL team but not an NBA team - but usually, only there (Pittsburgh, Buffalo, St. Louis, etc,)

 

[childofmary1143]

So if fighting in the stands is part of soccer, that should be allowed? I guess I consider sucker punching and cheap-shotting too much geared toward pansies and whimps to be a real sport. If fighting is part of hockey, it should be written into the rules, ala Rollerball, of it should not be tolerated. That might be a good sport. Rollerpuck.

What you don’t realize is that when a NHL player signs a contract to play in the NHL its in the contract that fighting may occur. Hence, from a LEGAL point of view they can’t pursue legal action the way we could if the same thing happened on the streets.

 

[Matthias123]

Fighting in Hockey is just as much part of the game as the slap shot and the forward pass.

There is a place for it. As long as it is clean, and it doesn’t get out of hand, then I don’t see anything wrong with it.

 

[Brady]

Beacause it is a man’s sport. If not we could let weomen and children play.

 

[Cat]

Beacause it is a man’s sport. If not we could let weomen and children play.

I don’t get this post.

There are plenty of women and children who play hockey. Our rink has a women’s hockey team.

One of my daughter’s best friends, a girl, was a member of the high school varsity hockey team (boys!) in our rink several years ago. She was also a figure skater! Talented girl! BTW, this particular high school team has won the state championship for the last eleven years, so the coach is doing something right!

Women’s hockey has been in the Olympics for the last few Olympiads.

And our rink is full of children, boys and girls, who play hockey. Any rink owner will tell you that hockey pays most of the bills in a skating rink.

When my kids were competing on synchro teams, we would watch the Father/Tots hockey classes on the other ice surface–great fun and SOOOOO cute! Dad and his tot (boy or girl) out on the ice together–adorable! Often these kids were still in diapers, but they were out there on the ice. (This was in Chicago, in case anyone is wondering.)

 

[CHCatholic]

Beacause it is a man’s sport. If not we could let weomen and children play.

I’ve had girls on my team before, and they play jsut as well as the guys.

Granted, their rules are different…they’re not allowed to body-check (In female hockey that is)

Furthermore, I’ve been playing since I was 3, and I’ve known kids who’ve been in skates since before they could walk (which will be my kids one day {and golf clubs in their hands in the summer])

 

[Brady]

Granted, their rules are different…they’re not allowed to body-check (In female hockey that is)

ok thats not hockney. maybe the next best thing but not hockey.

 

[psr13]

Here’s my theory on why women’s hockey doesn’t allow the body checking and violence. They would kill each other. Have you ever seen women fight? Have fun breaking that up. Other than that there is no reason why it isn’t allowed. It’s ridiculous in my mind and one of the reasons why I don’t play the sport. It isn’t hockey without the checking.

 

[CHCatholic]

Here’s my theory on why women’s hockey doesn’t allow the body checking and violence. They would kill each other. Have you ever seen women fight? Have fun breaking that up. Other than that there is no reason why it isn’t allowed. It’s ridiculous in my mind and one of the reasons why I don’t play the sport. It isn’t hockey without the checking.

You got that right…I’ve seen more spears, hooks, slashes and trips in my 2 years reffing high level girls hockey than all my years playing hockey

 

[Maxply]

I used to play defense, and fights and scuffles are how you mark your territory and tell the other guy you’re not going to let him run all over your back. It’s standing up for yourself.

 

[Matthias123]

I used to play defense, and fights and scuffles are how you mark your territory and tell the other guy you’re not going to let him run all over your back. It’s standing up for yourself.

Exactly. It has it’s place in the game. That stuff almost never leaves the ice anyways.