According to a new survey, most Canadians don't want to see fights like this one between Travis Moen of the Anaheim Ducks and Ryan Callahan of the New York Rangers. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

A new poll suggests a slim majority of Canadians oppose fighting in the NHL.

In a Harris-Decima survey conducted last week, 54 per cent of respondents said they oppose fighting in the NHL and 40 per cent were fine with it.

Opposition was especially strong in Quebec. Sixty-two per cent of respondents in that province said they oppose fisticuffs in the league.

Among respondents who follow the NHL closely, 68 per cent said fighting should be allowed under the existing system of routine penalties, falling short of suspensions and bans.

Fighting in hockey has resurfaced as a hot-button issue in recent weeks because Don Sanderson, an Ontario senior men's league player, died recently after a fight in which his head hit the ice.

Another player suffered a seizure after a fight in the AHL.

The NHL says the topic will be addressed at this season's general managers meeting, in March.

The survey of just over 1,000 people was conducted between last Thursday and Sunday and has a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

With files from the Canadian Press