Sidney Crosby on the Pittsburgh Penguins has rarely been in a fight, because his specialty is getting points, not fighting. Players can think and act for themselves, and by taking this decision from them it can drastically change the game, the last thing true hockey fans want is for the game to be like soccer with players throwing themselves on the ground just to get a penalty call. The players who do that in the game of hockey are very disrespected.
Another thing people forget is once the gloves are off and players are ready to fight, and the emotions are completely different. Adrenaline running crazy yet players are still staying composed, many know this feeling on the ice. If you are a fan watching and don’t know this feeling, just look at a player’s eyes, in that moment all the player cares about is taking out the other guy. It can all happen out of nowhere but some players plan fights days before they happen, Brandon Prust also talks about watching videos on youtube of his opponents past fights to see what punches they throw. Prust says, “Once the gloves fall off, everything else kind of fades away. You can’t hear the fans. You can’t hear the ref. It’s just silence. That’s the easy part. The tough part is the day leading up to the game when you know you’re going up against a tough guy. You can’t help but think about it all day, and you go through a roller coaster of emotions. I watch videos on guys I know I might have to fight just to be ready for the kind of punches they throw and their tendencies. What hand are they coming out with? When do they like to switch hands? Do they like to grab the jersey?”
Hockey as well as other sports is competitive, and when two teams are playing to win, it will without a doubt get out of hand. If someone on those teams needs to set the tone with a fight it is going to happen. You need to defend yourself and your team, and yes their are consequences. Thankfully in the NHL it is resolved in a five minute major penalty, but in other sports you will be ejected immediately. In baseball when a player charges the mound they know they will be ejected, but that won’t stop them. In hockey if you take fighting away, chances are the players will still get down and dirty on the ice, that is just the hockey player mentality. If the players are fine with fighting, why do people want to change that?
Fighting in The NHL continued
12.
(Photo by Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images)
(Photo by photosthatrock / Shutterstock.com)
(Photo by Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images)
(Photo by Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports)