The on-ice fight that knocked Montreal Canadien George Parros unconscious on Tuesday has raised the question of whether fighting should be banned from hockey, but no one from the Winnipeg Jets wanted to wade into that debate.

Head coach Claude Noel and most of the team's players refused to comment Wednesday on whether there should be a ban on fighting in hockey, although some suggested that fighting makes the game safer.

"It's a fast game, things happen and, in a way, it does keep people honest," said Jets enforcer Anthony Peluso.

"It does make certain players second-guess on doing something dirty or whatnot. And you know to protect the star players from getting injuries so everyone could see them, I think, it's the reason why it's there."

Tuesday night's incident began as a fight between Parros and Toronto Maple Leafs enforcer Colton Orr during their regular-season opener.

Parros slammed face first into the ice after a misplaced punch sent the forward sprawling over Orr's body. He fell hard on his chin and lay motionless for several minutes while a muted crowd looked on.

Parros was later taken off the ice on a stretcher.

A tweet from the Canadiens’ Twitter account Wednesday announced that Parros had been released from hospital, but he has suffered a concussion and would be out "indefinitely."

"It is definitely something scary that no one really likes to see," said Jets rookie Jacob Trouba.

"Fighting's a part of the game, but those incidents are something you don't ever really want to see."

Brandon coach wants fighting banned

But Shane Oliver, a bantam hockey coach in Brandon, Man., says he wants to see an end to head shots and fighting in the sport.

"The helmets come off and guys are pounding each other. It just doesn't make sense," he said.

"I've had nine concussions in my life. Every time I see a man punch a guy to the head, I'm thinking, 'Congratulations, you're just putting this guy one step closer to the grave.'"

Oliver said the concussions he suffered were so bad, he lost the ability to read and write, and these days he cannot remember anything from 2001 to 2006.

If people knew how bad head injuries can be, they would demand an end to fighting, he said.

"If every person on this planet spent 24 hours in my brain, they would understand, 'Holy crap, I don't want to do this.' I'd never want to see another guy take a hit to the head or a bad hit," he said.

Oliver said as a coach, he's trying to teach his bantam players the right way to hit in order to avoid injury.