Viewpoint

Its apart of the game, they know exactly what they are signing up for they aren't little kids anymore they know what they are doing. They know what could, and what may happen to them but no one forces them to play, and no one forces them to drop the gloves themselves, they can walk away they learnt it when they were little.

And if you don't like the fighting, then don't watch it. Anyone who is capable of turning on a t.v and putting it on the hockey channel, and are able to be "influenced" or able to complain are old enough to know not to fight and that, they are grown men and can go what they want, or if your the complianer than your old enouhg to change the channel. Just like no one is forcing them to play, no one if forcing you to watch.

If you wanna watch european hockey, then go move there or buy some special channel on satelite and watch that hockey. This is Canadian,& American hockey get use to it, or stop watching it!

The fights don't need to be a part of the game. It's banned in many other leagues including the Olympics and I still get entertained watching these pros skate. This old school thinking has got to go. You always here the old farts say about new cottages "they don't build 'em like they use to". Ya, they build 'em better now. It's the same with hockey players now. They're faster, better and stronger than the old school players who are now part of history. As entertaing as Domi was, he actually really sucked. Make the fighting a part of history too.

When I want to watch a good fight I go and watch the UFC.

All I have to say is that you don't understand why there is fighting in hockey until you play at a high level and tensions run high and everything you do you have to do to make someone notice you so you can get to the next level.

I played one year of Jr. B hockey and I fought all the time. I watch hockey games on the center ice package that I bought and in one night of hockey I only saw one or maybe two fights. Fighting will always be in the game of hockey. I made the transition from player to coach. I don't promote fighting to youth players but I know coaching 15-18 yr olds it's going to happen sooner or later.

I like a fast paced end to end game. I don't think fighting will stop in the NHL. Fighting is not alowed in the European league or Olympics. I would like to see the instigator penalty assesed to the players who start the fights. I don't think the officials call this penalty at all. Actually I think the officials have gone backwards and are calling the game like they did 3 years ago. As I saw tonght in the Toronto - Montreal game, the inconsistent calls and not calls were evident in this game (both ways). Although I am a Montreal fan, I believe Montreal played a great second period but did not fare to well in the other parts of the game. All I want to see is the standard of officiating called throughout the whole game and throughout the the season. Please pass this on to the NHL.
Chuck

Personally, I like fighting in Hockey because it's entertaining. As callous as it sounds, even when a player gets seriously injured by a cheap shot its entertaning to watch. Go only as far as youtube and see that every single violent episode that has occured is on there for people to watch over and over. It raises your adrenaline and you get to be pissed at the guy who made the cheap shot. The fist fights are just as fun to watch. However, if I was the hockey player on the ice who could have thier whole life ruined by something like that, I don't think I would be a big fan of violence.

People will argue that fist fights are "honorable" and the participants are "willing". I dont think this is the case because refusing to engage in the fist fight makes you look pretty bad in an associate where they are encouraged by the officals adn the fans alike. SO guys will fight even when they dont want to just because its teh acceptable norm,

I understand why the NHL would want to keep violence in hockey, as it is more profitable, however, perhaps not all hockey players want to expose themsevles to taht kind of danger.

I know that this is not going to happen but I think the best and most fair way to decide wether violence should be in the NHL is by getting all the hockey players in the NHL to vote adn decide on the rules and not the fans or the NHL officals whos lives are not at risk in the rink.

An argument for fighting is totally asinine. It is 1960's thinking. I was a huge hockey fan in the 70's, and 80's but in the 90's I most definetly tuned out. The new rules have helped but I think the European game is alot more interesting to watch. I thoroughly enjoyed the Olympics and tv ratings where quite high, which means the die-hard hockey fight fans didn't tune out, did they?

I just feel that in the year 2007 the game could evolve with the times. No other sport condones it, and pro hockey, although a unique game, is still the only pro sport (maybe lacrosse??) that supports fighting. It's archaic rationale, and quite short sighted to think that hockey needs fighting. Hockey needs to grow globally to catch up to international soccer and basketball, and building a wider audience won't be accoplished with fights. Period.

g

I find it quite amusing that the issue of fighting in hockey has become such a highly discused topic as of late. Fighting has been in hockey as long as it has been played. The problem lies in the people who have never played the game at a high level critisizing something they have never experienced. To say there is no proof that cheap shots do not increase with fighting not being part of the game, is nonsense. Having played junior hockey and Canadian University hockey, fighting certainly has a place in hockey. Cdn. University hockey was the dirtiest and cheapest hockey I have played. Fighting was severley penalized and it allowed the smaller, dirtier players to skate around and use their sticks without any fear of retribution. A referee is human. They cannot see everything on the ice, and they should not be expected to. There has to be some sort of player policing allowed to prevent this type of action from happening. I feel the instigator rule has also allowed this type of action to occur in the new "Bettman NHL". A player has to know that if he is going to "disrespect" an opposing player, there will be punishment. If this act is noticed by the referee, it will be penalized accordingly. If not, it may be penalized by an opposing player. Unfortunately, the lesson of respect not only comes from our parents, but out of fear as well.

The greatest heavyweights always fought with gloves on. Require NHLers to keep the gloves on and there will be less ability to get leverage by grabbing the other guy's sweater, no bone on bone hits, and less brutal damage while allowing the participants to vent,and the fans to get their rush.. Players removing their gloves in a fight wiould be subject to an automatic misconduct & 3 game suspension without pay. This approach would keep fighting as part of the game and probably reduce it's frequency.

To Tommy:

Good idea to put things in concrete terms.

And good point about that rookie who becomes intimidated because he got hit,...

A) My reaction to your example is that this rookie needs to look up when he skates. Period! No need to protect a guy who has not learned that basic skill of moving the puck by not looking up. Or, if you do not have the puck, then you need to watch it before you get it. ENd of the story. No need for protection.

b) If the refs deem the hit fair, then all players should respect the refs' decision. Period.

No, I do not agree with you that one has to do whatever it takes to win a hockey game. There are rules. There are refs. MOst of times they will make the right decision. There is no need for vigilante justice, as far as I am concerned.

No fighting in pro-hockey or any hockey for that matter.
For those of you who suggest that us "weak, sissie, and scaredy-cat types watch ping-pong or curling, perhaps it would be doing yourself a favour by watching WWF or whatever that mockery is all about. But it is fighting, kind of, and there's all that other macho, bone-crushing stuff with boxing, kick-boxing etc....
To those of us who really can play the game at a very high level, let's hope the fighting goes soon!! And we can get on with a display of talent and creativity - on the ice with a puck and a stick - shooting pucks in a net and trying to outsmart the other team - without getting angry at them for winning.
To all of you who want the fighting out of the NHL - GOOD ON YA!!!! It's coming, it's these other couch goons who have nothing better to do than to defend violence (?????), that need to wake up and see that this is part of the reason our world is in rough shape... We can do better, we can continue to evolve (most of us anyhow), and we can learn LEARN to play nice! :)
love you all,
Pierce

To take fighting from the North American game would take removal of the intimidation portion of coaching which is grassroots in our minor hockey system. Oh yeah, and Fedoruk made everyone look bad. That was a coaching error. He is a better player than fighter. Knocked out twice on the highlight reels. Whatta bum.

Kate from Vancouver...and your point is?

To kate from Vancouver:

Here's your exmaple.

Part 1: A San Jose Shark, first year in the NHL, comes in to Vancouver to face the Canucks. First period, he pumps home two goals. His speed is causing the Canucks headaches. Second period, Kevin Bieksa sees him coming up ice with his head down, and bodychecks him in to the boards (legally of course) for making such a mistake. The Sharks don't react, and the Canucks, on the momentum of the big hit come back to win the game. The player who just scored two goals isn't a factor for the rest of the game and now is timid, looking over his shoulder every time he has the puck, and is ineffective. They play the canucks 7 more times that year and he doesn't register a point.

Part B: Bieksa hits him in to the boards, knocking the rookie to the ice. Joe Thornton takes exception to the big hit. Skates over, challenges Bieksa and the two engage in a minute long fight. The Rookie now sees that his teammates will back him up, he realized his mistake, but knows that he has his team behind him. Next time Sharks play the Canucks he plays gritty and isn't scared.

Moral to the story, you do whatever it takes to win hockey games. Veteran players, tough guys, in the NHL always want to win and will do whatever it takes to win. If standing up for a teammate is what you have to do, you do it. It's not always the goons that do this. Case in point Jarome Iginla fighting Derian Hatcher.

As Edgar Styles stated, 10% of the fans want fighting taken out. The NHL will still survive without the 10% that whine and complain. It has survived all this time with fighting, why change it? Because 10% want fighting removed? I think the game would rather losing the 10%, than the 90% who don't mind.

I have grown up with this game, and as a child found the brawls/fight exciting... wanting my "good guys" to beat "bad guys" senseless.

But now I am absolutely tired of it. I love the game.. the speed, the skill, the contact and cannot understand what it is about hockey that makes it different from the speed and contact in almost every other sport. Yet in most other "real" sports, fighting is not condoned.

In Pro football, as soon as the whistle blows, people stop pounding each other. If someone throws a punch, they are thrown out of the game.

And the late hitting... called "finishing a check"... A defenseman makes a beautiful pass and 3 seconds later, someone drills him against the boards... what is the point! You take yourself out of the play as well...

And all the pushing and shoving after the whistle blows... it drives me crazy - whistle blows, play is over kids...

And I think that sums it up... the crap that goes on in hockey has always been about taking care of business like kids used to do in school yards... Friend is tripped... go beat up the guy who do it...

And for god sakes.. make the rinks Olympic size or the players smaller... there is no more room out there anymore!

I think in the final analysis, as long as fighting is allowed, pro hockey will remain the quasi bush-league entertainment/sport that gets less attention than people playing poker...

vvv

In all of the 60+ on this board I have not read one point that makes a valid point regarding how fighting is at all relevant to the game of hockey.

I am quite tired of the argument that compares hockey to other sports in an effort to ban fighting, but on the same front I am quite tired of the argument that hockey is unique from other sports in an effort to allow fighting.

I simply just don't get it. I personally don't care to watch hockey players or anyone fight. But I do understand that post-whistle fighting, isn't the problem in the NHL. And while I don't care for the fights it doesn't change how I feel about the sport of hockey because the fights don't have anything to do with the hockey.

Regarding the argument that one cannot compare it to the real world this is the someone flawed argument you make:

It is unacceptable to body check people in the real world, while it is acceptable in hockey.
Therefore all unacceptable things in the real world are acceptable in hockey.
Whatever you say guys.

To those players and fans PRO fighting: go punch each others lights out. See anyone cares. Just be and sure not to include any fan or player who doesn't want to fight.

To those players and fans ANTI fighting:
Its not worth your energy to care if goons beat themselves up. Just stay out of it.

Hockey and violence is essentially a non-argument. The future of hockey is Europe. In 10 years they will have a professional system that is more lucrative than our own.

With fewer and fewer kids playing hockey in Canada will anyone notice?

Intent to injure carries a major penalty, a misconduct and likely a multi-games suspension. Unless I drop my gloves first. How can anyone support a deliberate intent to injure? There are lots of UFC opportunities for fans and combantants alike, it's not needed in hockey. It simply NOT part of the game until the NHL.

You speak of fighting in hockey.... but all you talk about is the NHL. are you blind to the thousands of children that play hockey. have you ever seen the atom coach runnng his players through drills that are too complicated for NHL'ers. have you ever walked by the visiting teams (11 year old atoms) dressing room and heard their coach screaming at the players that next game #15 must be taken out...cut at the knees.???? do you not realize that allowing fighting you allow aggression and it takes hold of people in different ways. McSorely , with Burn's permission, and Burtuzzi with the organizations permission both went too far. We all look back Oh they shouldn't have done that. These macho unwritten rules don't work because once a rule is unwritten..it really doesn't exist so infact...there are no rules. Speaking of rules what is wrong with hockey's rules that fighting is at all necessary. People, coaches, players look to the NHL as some sort of icon something to copy. Just like the coach who didn't understand he needed to teach some simple basics first before complicated drills. He will think they should be punching each other too. what do the kids think.

Scott,
I read through your summary on comments from people in regards to fighting in hockey and think you did an excellent job of highlighting the highs and lows.
In my opinion there is nothing wrong with a little fighting in hockey but its the "goons" that are bringing the sport a bad rep. I think the main issue at stake here is that some players don't think through theirs actions before they do it, then after its done its too late. I think the NHL is doing a good job of keeping players accountable. Ray Emery slashed a Montreal player in the face a month or so ago and was punished for it. He admitted himself that it was stupid. However during the past brawl with Buffalo he had Martin Biron in a compromising situation and rather than beat him up he stopped fighting. I didn't see a problem with this. He showed respect, he made his point without pounding Biron.
I think the NHL just needs to crack down on goons starting brawls with cheap shots. Penalize those that throw the cheap shots and keep them accountable. Suspend players and fine them. I don't mean some little fine, make the players pay an amount that will make them think twice about it later. Keep a tally on players for repeated offenses and penalize more severely in repeat cases, I think this is already being done in the NHL.
My opinion get the players involved in the discussion. Talk to the gentleman in hockey, Gretzky, Howe, Sakic, Kariya and get there take on it.

Kudos to Chris in Winnipeg for coming up with the statistics on the players views on fighting.

86% of the players want the game left as is.

90% of fans polled also agree.

Need we say more?

Let them play the way they want to play. Let the 10% of the other disagreeing fans tune in to curling, bowling, darts and mixed cribbage games.

There is nothing wrong with fighting in hockey when it is in the context of the game and lets the players get rid of their frustration for a perceived wrong to them. I don't believe there is room in hockey for staged fights between two goons for entertainment purposes or one goon and another player for "protection" of a star player. The officiating should take care of the star players with suspensions and game misconducts for improper actions. Watching two goons dance around for a couple of minutes before throwing a punch just to entertain the crowd is asinine and only degrades the great game of hockey. It also keeps players in the league that don't belong there, simply for their fighting "prowess" and not for their hockey skills.

C'mon! Y'all are acting like this is such an important issue. The NHL is big business and not really 'sport' anymore anyway, its entertainment. And considering the money these entertainers are making, they can afford to risk their necks if you ask me! Have 'em sign a waiver, just like we do for our kids in minor hockey! "Don't mess with our national pastime, blah blah!" Face it - big money and technology has changed the game of hockey and there's no going back to the good ol' days...

Scott,

As much as I respect your hockey knowledge and your professional credentials I am amazed at the weakness of your arguement for fighting in hockey.

It seems that you and other "experts" are cowering behind the great unknown, "my goodness, what will hockey be like without fighting?"

There is not a shred of evidence anywhere, begging your pardon Mr. Cherry, that tossing fighting from the game would in anyway make cheap shots more prevelant.

You said it yourself that by cracking down on cheap shots, severely, the NHL could win the battle against dirty hockey.

For you to summarize your blog entry by saying the way to address "hits to the head" is by reaffirming the place of fighting in the game (ie. hits to the head) is, well, you must have been really tired when you wrote that.

University hockey and Jr. B. level hockey are shining examples of just how good hockey can be (remember speed, passing, shooting and hard body checks??) without needless and pointless fighting.

It's my opinion that true hockey fans would make the adjustment, to hockey without fighting, in the time it takes to serve a ten minute major.

It appears that it's the "experts" that are reluctant (with the exception of Steve Simmons) to remove their heads from the sand on the fighting issue.

Hockey is a game that will from time to time cause normal men to lose their cool and take a swipe at someone. And this is fine. But when two people have a fight, a game misconduct is in order. A five minute penalty is nonsense. And the fights that are staged as a side show, not precipitated by anything, have got to go. And here is a question to those who state that fights are necessary. I assume then that you don't watch the Olympics and don't cheer for Canada, since the game being played is NOT hockey?

Hockey is a very intense game,,,if you take out fighting,,you'll get an increase of sticks,,,high,spear,slash,,,,Leave hockey alone,clean up the streets,,first

You can tell who are the macho guys who like seeing two human beings hitting each other. Who cares about the players who get concussions? The guys who fight are big players. They might be ok players and ven great players, but star players got it and taken out of the game (Lafontaine, for one) even though there were deterrence. Even Gretzky left because he said his body could not take it anymore and he was not referring to going up and down the ice. That a boxing game started during a hockey game is indicative of the nonsensical aspect of the rules. I think most Canadian players cannot compete against other world players on skills, so they body check for hurting or intimidate the most crafty players. And, I still believe it is not a good for kids to see. The deterrence factor does not work anyway since, supposing a player from team 2 has hit/hurt a star player from team 1 --let's say-- intentionally. The goon player from team 1 is not going to go after a star player from team 2. No! He is going to scrap with the initial, goon instigator (team 2). Team 2 is still ahead, since the star player could be gone (or be ineffective) for the rest of the game or more.

The best way to deal with fighting is to put the respective combatants charged with fighting in the SAME penalty box. They'll tire themselves out soon enough.

Fighting has little or no consequence to the game, which is why it shouldn't matter whether its taken out or not. Fighting itself adds absolutely nothing to the game other than entertainment to those fans whose second favourite sport is WWF wrestling. But in the same respect fighting is not where the dangerous injuries happen, and is not making our children go start fist fights. Fighting quite plainly does not deserve this much attention. Its the cheap shots during play that should be dealt with.

But aside from that Mr McW I'm glad you think these players are more proud of their boxing skills then they're hockey skills, but I might wager a guess that this is not the case. Mr Howe may have been respected for his physical side to the game, but I suggest that he would be more insulted if you told him the only reason he was so good is not because he was actually good but just because people were scared of him. Give the man some credit please, he was very much a hard working, skilled hockey player. His numbers were a result from far more than his willingness to beat someone up after the game, which is all you seem to be relegating him to.

Players are hugging and kissing after goals these days, now you're considering taking out fighting....Is our league getting this embarassing???

Which one of the "ban fighting" crowd is going to tell Geordie Howe that he (Howe) is not "Mr. Hockey" after all?
Any objective research into the career of Howe will reveal that Geordie Howe didn't get messed with by opponents, because he would beat the crap out of them if they tried any dirty stick-work on him.
Clark Gillies, our neo-fans are going to let you know how poor your hockey skills were.
Maurice, despite being a superstar, you were too violent, and thus we are taking your name off of that goal scoring trophy.
Evidement, the Rocket's penchant for violence proves that he was incapable of "skill".
Mario Lemieux, because you grabbed an opponent by the throat when he ran your goalie in the WCOH in '04, you are going to be demoted to "role player" status for you lack of skill.

You can tell this is a CBC website by the number of liberal crybabies making posts. The argument that if you punched someone on the street you'd go to jail is used way to often, and is a ridiculous comment. If you came up beside someone the street and ran them over with a solid shoulder check you'd also go to jail. You can't compare what happens on the ice to regular everyday life. Hockey news polled 300 players, and 86% of them wanted fighting left the way it is. TSN also polled there audience during a game last week and close to 90% of them wanted fighting left alone. The people who cry about fighting are MOSTLY people who won't watch the game no matter what the league does.

Also, comparing the Olympics and the playoffs to regular season games is wrong. The Olympics only has I think 8 teams playing, the NHL has 30. Of course the games will be a higher caliber with less fighting when only the top 30% of the players in the world are involved. If you want hockey like that in the NHL, we'll have to go back having 6 teams again.

Daniel from Toronto, sorry for acting like a curmudgeon but how long did you search the thesaurus for the word 'curmudgeon'!!

Fred from Newfoundland you grew up watching hocky I'm sure? You watched when two guys dropped the gloves and squared off. I bet you didn't go out the next day and imitate what you saw? That's a lame arguement. The same people who say that fighting in hockey is a bad example to be setting for our kids are the ones who go out and purchase a video game like Grand Theft Auto for their own kids. We have to take responsibility for our own children and teach them what is and what's not acceptable.

We are talking about fighting in a professional hockey league here. Every player knows the rules, regulations, and the consequences involved when they sign their hefty contracts. It's a part of the job description.

Let's look at the big picture. We should realize that the violence in hockey, you call it fighting is usually in response to stick work, cheap hits and careless responsibility. The latter is actually the violence in hockey. So let's stop the band wagon and eliminate the real violence and leave the fighting issue alone.

Fighting should be banned and sportsmanship should be encouraged. If sport is going to feed off the worst aspects of human nature instead of encouraging positive values to live by (sportsmanship, team work, hard work, fair play, etc.), than what's the point? I love hockey, but I'm on the verge of giving up on the NHL. If I want violence in sport, I'll just put myself in a time machine and go back to Rome...ya know, most of the gladiators were not actually ever killed, just maimed, so I guess as long as nobody dies, it's okay right...what garbage! It's the principle of the thing...fighting in hockey is sending all the wrong messages, and I'm glad to see that a lot of other people on this board agree with me. Yeah, hockey's a contact sport, but that doesn't mean that it must be void of all respect and morality. In fact, b/c of the physical nature of the game, respect is all the more important...and fighting demonstrates the complete opposite of respect, sportsmanship, and fair play. Penalties are in the game for a reason. So, when cheap shots occur, call the penalty, throw the player out, and slam him with a stiff suspension. This is far more punitive than hockey players "policing themselves" by fighting, and sends a strong message that unsportsmanlike conduct of any kind will not be tolerated. Thanks for your time all. I'm glad to see this issue is finally being widely debated.

Hockey's a rough sport. It's full of rough guys. It's fast, intense and emotions run high. Players are not jogging along a surface or straddling a base line waiting for something to happen. It's all happening at the speed of sound.

I don't like to see fighting -- in a bar, on the street, between two drivers during a road rage incident. I don't particularly like to see fighting on the ice. But I don't condemn it, either. I accept it as part of the game.

Next thing, they'll try to ban hitting. Lord knows, someone could get hurt!

WHat irks me the most is the goons who absolutely do not belong in the NHL except becasuse they can hurt another person who is not his side.

I want to see great passing, great shooting, great stick handling, like the European players/teams play.

As far as (hockey) players ebing good role model because they go in the community, spare me the pathos. If I made their money and worked as little as they do (doing something that is quite fun), I would do it ... of course. It is nice, but it is a bit scripted/photo-up.

Athletes make too much money. Are they going to solve societal problems?

I don't go to hockey game because these guys make way too much money. People who make a real difference in people's life should make that kind of money.

What are these guys supposed to do, dance around each other like pansies??

Granted, cheap shots, sticks to the face, cross-checks, all that stuff is no good and it should be penalised. But if you've got a beef with someone on the ice, you duke it out. That's the sport of hockey.

No one makes these guys throw their gloves to the ground, they chose to do it. They've got no sympathy from me if it causes them injury. There are ways to avoid things coming to blows if a player doesn't want to get into it. It's not up to the NHL to regulate how players want to deal with their issues on the ice.

But if there's a hard check, a shove to the goalie, or any of the other little tiffs that escalate throughout a game and eventually end in a good old fashion hockey fight, I see nothing wrong with that. It's part of the game, and as much as we "high-class" citizens don't want to admit it, we find it entertaining.

And besides, what's the alternative? To call a little on-ice "dispute avoidance session" where they guys can sit down calmly and discuss what's bothering them before they kiss and make up?

No. You put away the freaking tissues, tear off the gloves, and give 'er.

That's hockey.

Scott, please find the recent New York Times article about John Mackey and Ralph Wenzel, both suffering from dementia and recently "re-introduced" to each other as strangers (they once played on the same team, but don't remember eadch other). Andre Waters. Ted Johnson.
Soon enough in hockey it won't be just the Lafontaines, Richters and Deadmarshes, players near the end of their careers who've accomplished a lot.

These aren't the athletes of yesteryear - they train after games and they don't work at the plant in the offseason. The large, conditioned athlete just can't take many shots to the head from other large, conditioned athletes. It ain't good for them and it ain't good for business.

You can hide behind the cloak of "well, hockey is a unique sport" or use the stickwork excuse as a crutch, but do you really want your stuff to read 10 years from now like one of those sportswriters who resisted the beginning of the sea change by clinging like a curmudgeon to old notions.

The game is not being threatened - it can still be aggressive and hard-hitting without shots to the head (and ergo, fighting)

Fighting is part of hockey and is Canadian as back bacon and maple syrup. In minor hockey it should not be permitted but at a pro level is it fine. Cheap shots especially from behind need to be addressed and a good scrap always works.

Boxing has fighting. That is on TV. The news has murders, that is on TV a lot more then hockey. UFC has extremely violent fighting, that is on TV.

You don't have fighting in the MLB, NBA or NFL because the sports are different. In the MLB, you aren't hitting anyone (and pitchers get tossed for hitting batters on purpose). In the NBA, you get a foul for breathing on a guy. In the NFL, if you cheap-shot someone, you hurt your team greatly with a 15 yard penalty.

The difference in hockey is that you have sticks and speed. Cheap shots can seriously alter players live (think Todd Bertuzzi). Sure, there have been injuries from fighting lately, but there have been more injuries due to players being chekced, or hit by pucks.

Leave the NHL alone.

It is irrelevant to me whether fighting improves or dimishes the game. I just believe it is not justified and sends a wrong message to our kids. If I fought with my neighbour over a disagreemnt of a land boundary I would find myself in court. If I punched out some young man who made some saucy remarks to me, I would be charged. If I pushed or punched my son's coach because he was not giving my son enough ice time I would be baned from the arena and possibly facing charges. The point is I am required to excercise control when I am in disagreement with others and if I loose this control I have to be prepared to face the consequences. Why should I be allowed to put a man in hospital over a fight in hockey and feel it is part of the game but yet be expected to face charges and court if I beat the day lights out of a neighbour who is constanly harrasing? We expect kids to show discipline, respect and live within the norms of our society but yet we also tell them it is ok to bend them if it means beating up a certain person becasue he roughed up one of your best players. Don't send someone out to beat the daylights out of him. If it was a intentional act to injure a star player or any player for that matter, ban him from hockey.

I will not voice my opinion on fighting's place in hockey, but will insist that hockey players are good role models off the ice in terms of helping the community. Being from Vancouver the example that is strongest to me is when I see Canuck players hanging out with and raising money for terminally ill children at Canuck Place. This is an excellent example of respect for those less fortunate, something I would definitely like my children to look up to.

But I as a Canadian and a hockey fan I am embarrassed by the other Canadians who seem to think that it is only our game...leave OUR game alone. These are arrogant and ignorant comments. Hockey has an enormous amount of support in Canada, and we have won a bunch of World Titles, but the NHL does not only reside in Canada, NHL Players are from all over the world, and the very fact that there is a World Championship and that it is an Olympic event, suggests that everyone else who watches hockey whether they be American, or Canadian, or Swedish or Russian, German, etc deserves to have an opinion of what they see as the most entertaining and the productive kind of hockey.

I am very interested to understand how hockey is played and viewed in the rest of the world. I love Canadian Hockey and am extremely proud when we win on the international stage, but the game does not belong to us nor should it belong to us. If it did it would become as self-centred and one-dimensional as football is in the US.

What helps a sport be the best that it can be is when it is influenced by people from all over the world, like a sport such as soccer for example. I welcome well thought out comments from Canadians, Americans and certainly the rest of the world. Thankyou to Volker from Germany. Brick from California your hostility is not appreciated and unfortunately if had a point it was lost in your anger.

Can we please keep in mind this is an opinion forum not an I-know-all-and-if-you-don't-agree-you-suck forum.

Seems to me that the advertisers in the hockey world should know that there are some of us whose T.V. gets turned off when the gloves come off. True, the "unsavory" elements of the game need all to be curbed. I have played and enjoyed hockey all my life. Focus needs to be on the incredible skills hockey players have developed over the years. Eliminating fighting, etc. will not, to my mind, deminish the game. Fighting does NOT belong to hockey.

Fighting is as much a part of the game of hockey as the slap shot. If there's a few incidents where guys get very seriously injured as the result of a slap shot will the league feel that it is time to look at whether or not slap shots belong? I doubt it.
The guys who do it are willing combatants and they lke doing it. The fans love it judging by their reaction when one takes place. The media loves it judging by how they cover games where one is evident. Management likes it based on the contracts they give to the enforcers.
So the question is who doesn't want fighting in hockey? There's not many people left!
Get rid of the instigator rule and heavily dicipline the guys who premeditate fights...meaning two goons who line up and challenge one another without any previous altercations.
The idea that guys are getting bigger and stronger and can hit a lot harder than ever makes little sense due to the fact that the guys that they're hitting are much bigger and stronger than before also.
If you get rid of the instigator rule then stickwork will diminish, cheap shots will diminish, and the game will police itself.
As for the banning of fighting in order to better sell the game south of the border, that's ridiculous. If you want to US fans to start watching hockey, then I suggest having more fighting and more violence! What's more violent than an NFL football game?
Stop trying to change the game!!!

As usual,the cry babies are getting upset because players are getting hurt during games. Seeing players going out on stretchers used to be a rare thing indeed but now,it doesn't take very much for a stretcher to be called in. Any hit to the head that might be a possible serious head,neck or back injury gets a stretcher or backboard,as it should. When you consider that the NHL has made the boards have more give to prevent serious injuries (unlike the solid unrelenting ones of the 70's),the nets easier to unlodge so players don't get hurt crashing the net.
The p[roblem with the "new NHL" is that it's seeling itself out to the US and doing whatver it takes to increase the profits in US cities. The game is fine.Just eliminate the annoying "obstruction" calls,let the tough guys regulate the problems and don't even think of making the nets bigger.
The NHL should just worry about keeping the game Canadian and stop the stickwork that has replaced great open ice hits (esp. hipchecks)and the

That's it? That's the depth of Scott Morrison's analysis and argument? Was he paid by the CBC to write this blog? If so, what a colossal waste of public money. There are many basic and simple reasons for banning fighting in hockey, none of which were mentioned by Mr. Scott. The simplest are that it is vulgar and unnecessary. Ever wonder why no major professional and college team sports except professional hockey tolerate fighting? Is the majority so wrong while the minority (professional hockey) so right? To claim that fighting should be tolerated because hockey is a tough and violent sport is no more sophisticated than claiming that torture and genocide are a part of war. In what sense would taking fighting out of hockey be wrong? Would the health and safety of more hockey players be placed at risk by severely penalizing fighting like the NBA, MLB, and the NFL do? (Maybe: Because these leagues do not tolerate fighting, star players like Kobi Bryant, Derek Jeter, and Brett Favre are frequently set upon by other teams' players, right?) Would the quality of the sport suffer? (Maybe: All other rule changes and changes to the rinks and equipment have produced an increasingly exciting game of hockey, right?) Would fewer people watch hockey? (Maybe: I guess many people only watch hockey in anticipation of a fight rather than to watch two teams compete for a win?) The bottom line is this, there are many reasons that the NHL should try to banish fighting. There are few, if any, sensible or data-driven reasons for continuing to tolerate it. Cries of "it's our game, leave it alone," "fighting reduces stick infractions," "fighting deters marginal players from lashing out at star players," "hockey is a tough and violent game" and the like range from the childish and meaningless to the unprincipled and unproven.

One of the most exciting, hard hitting hockey games I've watched in the last five years was not an NHL game, nor even a professional one. It was an NCAA "Frozen Four" semi-final. There was plenty of hitting (all clean, i.e. no elbows to the head or the like), fantasic skating and goalscoring. All of this with no fighting, no-touch icing and no macho poseurs challenging one another to "drop 'em and go". This goes against the mantra being preached by hockey media types who complain that taking fighting or hits to the head out of the game will make it a ballet on ice. Hogwash. While I don't object to watching a good NHL bout, it's not integral to the game. It's also not a deterrent to "cheap shots" to other players; that needs to be addressed by consistent and strict adherence to the rules by the on-ice officials and a published unwavering schedule of suspensions by Colin Campbell for violations of those rules.
No one needs to play hockey; it is a sport. There are certainly dangers inherent in playing hockey, but that doesn't mean that efforts to reduce the chance for injury shouldn't be taken. I'm sure if you did an anonymous poll of NHL players, virtually all of them would opt to take head shots, and maybe even fighting out of the game; they are afraid to admit this publicly for fear of being branded sissies. Get rid of cheap shots; clamp down on gratuitous fighting. Maybe then the NHL will get a national TV contract in the US and hockey can take it's rightful place as the best of the four major sports.

Why doesnt Colin Campbell focus on Modanos Stick swingin. Too much attention on Tootoo... Give us a break.... Taking Fightin outta hockey is like taking A BABY BOTTLE FROM A BABY..

It seems to me that the only reason NHL hockey "needs" fighting is to have the players police all the garbage that goes on during a game - cheap shots, stick work, elbows, kneeing, checking from behind, etc. And the reason the players need to do the policing, is because the league will not clean up all the dirty work that is going on.

I do not condone nor disapprove of fighting in hockey, but I would argue that eliminating it for the purpose of trying to prevent injuries is simply missing the real problem. For every "tough guy" that gets injured in a fight, I bet there are 100 that get injured as a result of some sort of cheap shot. Respect from the players towards each other, as a few commentors have mentioned, is very much lacking in the NHL.

Bunch of babies. Just because I watch a fight in a hockey game doesnt mean I go looking for one when I hit the ice at the local rink. If you are going to try to end fighting in hockey to shield the precious children from violence then you might want to check out the movies/ video games/ comics/ books. Or the news that they watch with pretty much everyone including governments settleing their differences with violence. Hockey is Hockey, its been the way it is for years. Why now is it suddenly a big suprise when people get injured.

You can't say that hockey is operating above the law when they allow fighting if you have other sports that are specifically geared towards it like boxing etc. Just because they don't allow fighting in football or baseball doesnt make it law. Since when does the NHL set its rules and regulations around what they do in the NFL, and MLB.

Put it this way. If you find yourself a little nervous next time your watching a game and two people start a physical altercation, and your not sure if you like whats happening. Do yourself a favor and change the channel.

In my mind fighting does not
belong to a hockey game. If we
saw the last weeks some checks
are very poor some players get
injured. What has this do with
hockey. I hope that the NHL
will find a way to stop such
in my mind unfair play. What
should a young player think
if he see this hits and fights.

What's wrong with everyone??? The only ones that made some sense with their opinions were The Bambino from NFLD and Tonsaker... LEAVE THE GAME ALONE!!! Hockey is an intense physical game and all of you that are crying about fighting are either not tough enough to play hockey in the first place or just plain don't understand the game... Install the no-touch icing, take away the instigator rule and LET THE GUYS PLAY... just because you guys weren't good enough to play professional hockey, doesn't mean it gives you the right to cry and to try to change the game...

It amazes me that the so-called 'hockey experts' all feel that fighting has to be taken out of the game be in order to sell hockey in the US. Are they talking about the same United States Of America that I know? I feel that it would be a better marketing idea to add more violence to the game in order for Americans to start watching it!
Personally, I feel that the game is being tinkered with way too much so to sell the game in the states. Americans will never view hockey in the same light as baseball, football, and basketball so quit trying to change it so much.
As for all the unfortunate incidents over the last while, they have created nothing but publicity in the states. Moreso than any marqee playoff match-up or a Sidney Crosby hi-lite reel goal. It's sad, but that's what will bring fans out in the US...more violence.
Fighting should remain a part of the game, but as Phil Espisito said earlier in the week, "only as a result of emotion".

I have little opinion about an NHL ban of fighting. I don't like fights b/c I have no interest in them just like I have no interest in boxing or wrestling. But in a world where one of the most respected sports, boxing, is simply bash you opponents head as hard as you can, no wonder fighting is thought to be entertaining by spectators, and meaningful to athletes. But regardless of whether I think fighting should be banned I would like to say this.

1) When fights break out in the real world people do not go to jail.
Yes, if a fight broke out b/w adults in a school classroom you might get fired. But this would never happen b/c the classroom environment does not feed the aggressive side of us. Instead lets go to a place where fights do break out. Bars. If a few punches are thrown in a bar no own calls the cops or gets arrested. If something more serious occurs, ie bad injury then police are included, just as what happened in the Bertuzzi incident. So far hockey parallels the real world.

2) Hockey players are not poor role models. Two scenarios:
a) Sports hero not fighting during a game, but in the real world gets arrested for rape, or assault or illegal gun possession, (countless football, basketball stars). But horay! they didn't get mad while playing their sport. Respect your fellow rich talented superstar, but treat normal people like crap. Most people aren't pro athletes and so can only model there everyday attitude towards others.
b) Sports hero who while during a game throws a punch or two, but in the real world is seen spending time with terminally ill children (the Canucks) or speaking out for sports funding in poor neighbourhoods or donating money (WG Foundation). The lesson here: When playing a sport have fun, get mad, but when the whistle blows leave your rivalries behind, and have respect for the world around you that wasn't given the same talents or good fortunes you were given.
Who would you rather your kids look up to?

REMOVE THE CODE!
The discussion should not be about removing fighting but about removing this "Infamous Code". All rules, written and un-written, must be applied fairly to all.

Scott, I will always take exception to two-faced, narrow opinions such as yours regarding Chris Simon and Jordin Tootoo. Those are two good examples, one deserving of a suspension and the other not.

Chris Simon's action are of the type that must be agressively addressed by the league. However, Ryan Hollweg continues to hit from behind similar to that which preceeded the Simon infraction.

Stay with me Scott, the Jordin Tootoo incident is the otherside of the coin. This is where and when 'The Code' came into effect during that game. Robidas invoked the Code when he Charged at Tootoo for his check on Modano.

I take exception to your manipulative attempts to distance these two incidents from the Fedoruk matter, but, more importantly the discussion on fighting.

When you enact 'The Code' you are generally prepared and consenting for what is about to transpire", like Robidas wasn't.

Guess what Scott? The Fedoruk/Orr incident was also an enactment of 'The Code'. Fedoruk had to answer for something he did in previous game. That nonsense which occurred 31 seconds into the game, not unlike the Belak/Jansen affair, is what you fools want us to believe should be a part of the game.

Every player must be subjected to the same rules. If this were the case, the real "skill" players would no doubt appear. The kind that skate faster, avoid a being hit and pass quicker - the ones that can play under the same rules.

Fighting is a deterent for misbehaviour, only a fool would introduce an oxymoron as a solution.

Get rid of 'The Code', not fighting, and our game will improve.

MY beef isn't with fighting. I agree the instigator rule should be eliminated and so should hard plastic equipment and hits from behind. In defence of Chris Simons he was hit from behind and Tootoo was about to be in a two on one, if you ever been in a street fight you live by your reactions.The NHL two ref system is junk. It hasn't made the game better and I don't see them calling any more penaties then one referee did. Other than cheap infractions, their not calling penaties like smashes from behind into the boards. Their continually in the play behind the net, they arn't doing the basics like the piston move along the goal line to stay out of the play. I can't belive no one says anything about the reffering it is horrendous. They have eliminated the behind the play activite (butt ends, retaliation, etc.)one of the most important aspects of the game. I thought this was hockey not basketball.

Take out fighting, hitting, add more shootouts, and call more penalties so there is more three on fours.

Sounds like the NHL wants the game to be more like basketball. So if that is what you want then watch basketball.

You cannot eliminate injuries, besides, they now play an 82 game schedule, there are more teams in the league, the product has become increasingly watered down. Of course people are going to get hurt, that is why they get paid the money they do. Risk versus Reward. By the way, where else can you watch millionaires fight.

Leave the game alone, it's fine, always has been fine. Anyone that has played the game, competitively of course, will tell you the same. The ones that complain about it were either A: not good enough to play at an elite level or B: afraid or scared of hitting, and the odd chance that someone would challenge them to a fight.

To Greg in Nanaimo:
You stated the Europeans outscore the North Americans? You obviously don't follow hockey very closely. If you did you would know that all of the top 5, and 8 of the top 9 scorers in the NHL are North Americans. Great research on that quote. Our Jr. game is fine, if you don't like youngsters watching it, go and watch oldtimers rec hockey, there are plenty no contact leagues in BC. You continue to watch for what reason?

To Mike in Yellowknife:
Players have died on the ice, accidents happen. Soccer players in Europe have been killed, cricket coaches murdered. Are these sports going to be banned? Start watching bowling, curling, or tennis. Maybe take up table tennis. Non-contact sports.

Re-read Larry's thoughts. Very well said. If the players respected each other as they once did, there would be no stick swinging or hits to the head. A player who runs someone in the third period nowadays can almost guarantee nobody will defend their player as an extra two minute instigator would leave them short-handed and certainly a spot on the bench for the rest of the game. Case in point Paul Maurice when Kaberle went down. The two points meant more, which it should, but without the instigator penalty there wouldn't be a problem. Or a chance for the media to hype the rematch, they are worst than paparazzi lately.

Bottom line: What percentage of fans boo a fight on the ice? Estimation 3%. Poll the players, let them decide.

In my opinion, I think that the game does not need to rid itself of fighting, but it needs to get rid of the one dimensional player known as the "goon". Look at all the lengthy suspensions over the past 2 years and see how many involve the "goon" type player. I like to see the odd fight that is the spur of the moment like the Iginla/Lecavalier fight last year in the playoffs, however the fights that are choreographed between 2 goons is not neccessary. Easy solution, drop the amount of players that can be dressed for each game from 20 to 17. 9 forwards, 6 d-fence and 2 goalies and we will see how many teams will dress guys like Chris Simon or Wade Belak.

It is my opinion, that alot of the aggressiveness of the players could be tempered by upper body equipment( shoulder pads, elbow pads) being manufactured out of softer materials. It appears that the players are fearless and use both heavily padded shoulder pads, and hard plastic elbow pads to deliver these damaging hits. It is true the players are bigger and stronger, and there are still players in the league who wear padding of lesser protection, those would also be the ones who aren't as reckless with their hitting. The argument goes back to the evolution of the Marsh Peg for nets, before that, players avoided driving the net with abandon, today it is common practice, where a game rarely goes by without collisions with the net, and the goaltender. The players have no fear of injury, or considerably less, as compared to when solid pins retained the net in position. It would only go to reason that if eqiupment was suffecient to protect from normal physical contact in the game, and not to inflict injury, then the players would have to rely on their own physical stature to determine the amount of hitting they would do, and probably be a little more selective in the type of hitting. As an extreme example, no elbow pads, I doubt you would see anyone leading with an elbow for a hit. The nasty hits tend to lead to the fighting, and sometimes reckless, some might say criminal, use of sticks for retaliation.

In sumation, with the size,speed and skill of toadys professionals, I don't think it would be that hard of sell to lessen the protective upper body eqipment. New N.H.L. rules now regulate the use of the stick to hits above the waist. Long gone is the heavy stick work in front of the net, ie crosschecks and whacks to the back to move players. So lighten up and let the physical attributes of the players determine the degree of hitting, and not modern equipment technology.

I totally agree with people who are appalled that the NHL (and some of their supporters) are still condoning fist fights. If it is acceptable in a rink, why wouldn't it be unacceptable outside? This is not acceptable in any other sports, except extreme sports. However, I do agree that rules should be changed when it is abundently clear that some 3rd rate player has been given the order to get rid of (as in "hurt" him for a while) a 1st rate player, which is essentially the issue. So, maybe there should be longer penalties (5 min.), if that is the case. Maybe 5 on 3 for 2 minutes?

I am currently vice president of Whistler Minor Hockey Association.
My preference is to take out checking from behind; vicious elbowing with intent to injure and all head shots. Do not drop the gloves. The bare gloves punchout does not belong in todays hockey. The NHL made so many changes and many have not even set in at the minor level or at the NHL Level as of yet. Allow the referees to do their job and stop 2nd guessing them although it seems to be the national pastime. Fighting will happen it is in the nature of a very emotional sport. Make the penalties hurt and let that be the deterent. Relook at the suspensions and get rid of the reoffenders.

They are trying to tinker too much with the
game . Just change the current "Icing " rule
to "no-touch" icing . Fighting will always
be needed. Get rid of the "Instigator"rule.
That alone will deter the Pests from running
around and not dropping the gloves . And there
is nothing wrong with our Jr.Hockey program.

It seems to be an unavoidable part of being human that we always wait until something terrible happens before we change things, for example, babies have to be strangled by power windows before car-makers are forced to install auto-reverse mechanisms; Bangladesh has to be inundated and glaciers have to disappear before we deal with climate change etc. etc.

So I guess we'll just have to wait until a hockey player is killed on the ice before fighting and all the other unnecessary violence is eradicated from hockey.

Why do we allow Don Cherry and other defenders of hockey violence to continue extolling its virtues? In the real world, peope who encouage violence are thrown in jail!

Saying that the euro boys are better than the Canadians is ignoring the facts. There are great euro players sure, but we have plenty as well, including the top player currently.
If you watch international hockey, you will notice that their game has become much tougher than it used to be. Watch the Russian teams. They are mean.
Its a FULL CONTACT sport and its a rough sport, and there is going to be fights.
And please do, leave our game alone!

Just glad to see there are lots of others out there that feel the same as me, that fighting should be out. I'm not sure why the deciding factor as to why a fight is legal is a pane of plexiglas. I'm going to get a lot more than five minutes if I get into a fight in my rink-side seats, out front of the arena, or in my classroom and rightly so. It is the law. Professional or not, it is against our laws and sets a bad model for youth to solve problems with violence.
"But it's part of the game!"
Ah violence sweet violence. Our culture does look fondly upon thee. Look no further than when 'fans' get excited when there is a fight in hockey. Well sure, this shows the mob mentality of the average fan because they are encouraged want to see some blood. Just like in grade school when we circled up and chanted,"Fight fight fight!" and encouraged the two combattants instead of doing the right thing and stopping it.
What other major sports condone this type of behaviour? Lots of stick work and cheapshots in basketball and football? I know fighting is engrained as they say. ("Part of the game eh?!") What a cop out! To those I say, Good luck as an MP in goverment since that attitude demonstates the same lack of will to even try to do something about it. If no fighting means more cheap shots and stick work, then use a whistle to control it. Works in our Tuesday night league for us.
Of course, that's just my opinion, I could be wrong.

fights is the reason why i watch hockey i think its part of the game and tradition, so let it be more fights please,

I think that the answer to the fighting question is; If the referee thinks that the fight is getting out of hand he should not step in and try to break it up. There should be a rule that the referee can call for the fighters to break up, and if they do not, the instigator should be suspended for the rest of the game. If there is no instigator and they square off before the fight then if they both refuse to break up then they should both be suspended from the game. Also there does not seem to be a charging rule in the game anymore if the rule still exsists it should be called. Charging, three steps and the feet cannot leave the ground.
A question; How can they determine which team wins the presidents trophy when most play is divisional? I think that in some divisions the teams are closer than in other divisions.

This argument is similar to the one some Americans make that we would all be safer if we all carried guns. I can't believe that any sport worthy of consideration would have to discuss whether its participants should be allowed to bash each other over the head. At what level of hockey should fighting be permitted? Does any reasonable person relish the sight of 8 year olds punching it out on the ice?

Sport is supposed to teach values of sportsmanship, teamwork and discipline to our children. I don't see how professional hockey teaches any of these things. It has just become merely a spectacle like "professional" wrestling. I don't really see much merit in it.

The objective of fighting is to cause maximum harm to an opponent; that of playing hockey is to put a puck in the other's net. Inherent risks in both activities should therefore be interpreted in different contexts.
The reason fighting in any sport should be banned is not because of reasons that pertain to the mechanics of play or the value of entertainment, but because open expression of brutality enforces the belief that it is okay to cause physical harm to other people, even for reasons as trivial as a game of hockey.

What a load of rubbish from Scott Morrison. If fighting makes North American hockey players better, why do clean-playing Europeans regularly outskate, outmanoeuvre, outperform, and outscore them? But what is even worse than watching these lumbering bears clubbing each other is the example it sets to youngsters. The culture of violence in junior hockey is a disgrace.

You could easily take the "threat from the bench" and replace it with a threat from NHL head office for fighting. The threat of lengthly suspensions would serve as a much better deterant than any goon. Serious injuries are on the increase due to fighting. In my opinion i think the right thing to do is ban it altogether. Within the next five years, after a slew of injuries to players, it will be banned. I guess the people that think it a part of hockey can go watch UFC on skates, which will be the next new sport.

Scott Morrison's position is lame, lame, lame. Any argument that fighting is a responsible and productive release is assinine. When you have guys like Laraque asking an opposing player to go and wishing him good luck then you have nothing more than fighting for fighting sake. The notion that hockey is somehow more intense and therefore requires some form of an outlet that other sports do not require is absurd. Nothing is more intense than opposing linemen in Football going at one another for 2 hours. There is not, however, an opportunity for those players to square off and fight one another to release their pent up aggressions. There are certainly occasions when tempers boil over and , given those situations, players are appropriately ejected.

The stick work argument is also just another ploy by the advocats of fighting that also falls apart given the playoffs. Fighting is down dramatically in the playoffs simply because players know they are illadvised to chance a penalty and cost the their team a win. And insofar as the intensity goes, well that's a nobrainer.

Fighting would be dramatically reduced if the combatants were ejected. Laraque would not be so kind as to "go" with an opponent due to his reduced ice time in doing so. And those who feel they need to respond in order to protect a player can do so and should know that it comes at the expense of their completing the game. Plain and simple.

There will always be extenuating circumstances. That, however, does not negate the necessity for getting rid of the ridiculous spectacle of grown men fighting one another because they can't deal with the intensity of the game and all the mean guys playing it

Leave our game alone.

If you must do something, take the instigating penalty out of the game. You'll see less stickwork and cheapshots. In the old days, if someone hit your leading scorer, a team mate would drop the gloves with that player and the matter would usually be resolved. As far as I am concerned, the instigator is the player committed the original offence. Give us no-touch icing as well, as there will be less injuries.

Injuries due to fighting have always happened. Check out a locker room after a game and you'll see icepacks on heads and hands.

The next thing they'll want to do is remove the slapshot from the point...

I think that you briefly hit on the key. As Aretha Franklin says so nicely, RESPECT !!!! The players have to learn that they all play the same game and make a living from this great game. I agree that fighting should stay but it really is not the main problem. The lack of respect that players have for one another is disgraceful. They need to recognize the implication of their actions.
Hitting from behind has to be eliminated from the game before someone gets dramatically hurt. The players have to respect that some one is eventually going to get paralyzed (or worse, killed) from their negligent actions. Stiff penalties are required for incomprehensible actions like Chris Simon's stick swinging. People need to think before they act.
Another significant reason for all of the injuries in the game these days is the equipment. I hate to say it, but I believe that Don Cherry is correct. The latest equipment does a great job of protecting the player that is wearing it. However, with all of the hard plastic pieces in the equipment, it does nothing to protect opposing players. It is not surprising that when someone gets a shoulder to the head that is deemed a legal hit (and is legal), the individual that did the hitting is not hurt but the individual that got hit has a concussion. The player that was hit feels like he was hit with a shovel, a hard plastic one but equally as hard. If the padding had more give, there would be less chance of an injury.
Again, the onus really does fall back tot he players and the fact that they really must start to respect each other.
Respectfully,
LH

Because of the speed of the game, a normal reaction, when being hit is to hit back.
The tough guys hit back with a hard check when needed during the game.
The fist will fly at times but, only as a reaction to being hit unnecessarily. Often, the player will swing before he can reason why he is swinging - hard to control with this fast-moving game.
After swinging, the referee can often step in and stop it.
The problem is that we have goons on every team, and they don't understand any of this - and never will!
Let the tough guys play.
Stop the goons from entering hockey at all levels!

As I said related to the Tootoo incident, just more nonsense and rationalization from hockey insiders while awaiting someone's death so that the courts can make it clear that hockey, like everything else, does not operate outside the law.