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Fighting in the NHL

A place to discuss the MN Wild
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Hornets
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Fighting in the NHL

Post by Hornets »

Have to say I enjoyed the non-stop fisticuffs of the NHL back in the 70's and 80's. It just seemed a natural part of the game and most fans would stand up and get all excited when one broke out. Bench clearing brawls? Don't get me started....they were AWESOME!

Fast forward to 2019. Fighting has decreased HUGELY (thanks Donald) and how many fights were there this year at Wild games? Maybe a half dozen? It's time to end this....it really is. The Ovechkin beatdown is just another reason why. Players are much bigger and stronger then ever before and it's ridiculous to let this keep going. With FOUR officials on the ice (too many IMHO) they should be able to police what goes on and penalize when appropriate. Still pisses me off that Dumba misses most of the season because some idiot felt the need to send some sort of a message to him.....

#endthefighting
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whiskerbiscuit
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Re: Fighting in the NHL

Post by whiskerbiscuit »

I've never liked it and always thought it was for show. It's barbaric and it's stupid. Didn't we lose Dumba for the year because of a needless fight? In the rare occasion that punches are thrown in the NBA, MLB or NFL that is raw emotion. In the NHL it's just run of the mill.

Always seems odd to me that in the NHL you can get a 5 minute major for things that you get assault charges for at a bar. There is no fighting in HS and college hockey and it's just fine. There's plenty of scuffles around the net after whistles and I like those better than actual fights anyway.
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DC4MVP
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Re: Fighting in the NHL

Post by DC4MVP »

I like a good hockey fight like the next person but I'd be fine not seeing them anymore.

That kid Ovi KTFO'd is only 19 years old and already has one concussion under his belt and is 2-3 more away from flirting with quitting the game.
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Hornets
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Re: Fighting in the NHL

Post by Hornets »

whiskerbiscuit wrote: Wed Apr 17, 2019 11:28 am I've never liked it and always thought it was for show. It's barbaric and it's stupid. Didn't we lose Dumba for the year because of a needless fight? In the rare occasion that punches are thrown in the NBA, MLB or NFL that is raw emotion. In the NHL it's just run of the mill.

Always seems odd to me that in the NHL you can get a 5 minute major for things that you get assault charges for at a bar. There is no fighting in HS and college hockey and it's just fine. There's plenty of scuffles around the net after whistles and I like those better than actual fights anyway.
You obviously didn't read my thread.... :pissed:
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The Replacements
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Re: Fighting in the NHL

Post by The Replacements »

DC4MVP wrote: Wed Apr 17, 2019 11:56 am I like a good hockey fight like the next person but I'd be fine not seeing them anymore.

That kid Ovi KTFO'd is only 19 years old and already has one concussion under his belt and is 2-3 more away from flirting with quitting the game.
Why did the kid go after OVI? Was he trying to make a name for himself? Did the coach encourage it? Either way it was the dumbest decision.
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DC4MVP
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Re: Fighting in the NHL

Post by DC4MVP »

The Replacements wrote: Wed Apr 17, 2019 12:24 pm
DC4MVP wrote: Wed Apr 17, 2019 11:56 am I like a good hockey fight like the next person but I'd be fine not seeing them anymore.

That kid Ovi KTFO'd is only 19 years old and already has one concussion under his belt and is 2-3 more away from flirting with quitting the game.
Why did the kid go after OVI? Was he trying to make a name for himself? Did the coach encourage it? Either way it was the dumbest decision.
I honestly don't know. I wasn't watching that game but only saw it on the NBCSN recap shows.

From what I understood, he looked up to Ovi growing up (both Russian) so maybe he just wanted to fight in idol or something and, like you said, make a name for himself.
full force five
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Re: Fighting in the NHL

Post by full force five »

The kid went after Ovi or it was mutual. That kid learned the hard way.

I grew up watching Plett, Snepsts, Maxwell, Churla, McRae etc I love hockey fights. I think the opposite, it would help eliminate all the slashing, dirty hits, running the goalie, etc. if they got rid of the instigator. Way more of that goes on now, in the past if you f'ed with a super star, non-fighter or goalie you would have to answer to Plett. How many games are lost because of broken hands from a slash or concision from a dirty hit, way more than from fighting? The number of fights are way way down.
Jimtown guy
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Re: Fighting in the NHL

Post by Jimtown guy »

Soon it will be a thing of the past. I don’t mind 2 guys going at it but like some have already said players are bigger and stronger now. I’m guessing in 5 years it will be eliminated from the NHL and I’m fine with that.
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Re: Fighting in the NHL

Post by Lenny5160 »

whiskerbiscuit wrote: Wed Apr 17, 2019 11:28 am There's plenty of scuffles around the net after whistles and I like those better than actual fights anyway.
I wish they would call all of that crap. And all of the crosschecks in the back in front of the net (the Parise special) or when a guy is already down. That's not hockey at any other level.
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Hole Nova Level
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Re: Fighting in the NHL

Post by Hole Nova Level »

I like it, it's necessary.

The only thing I don't like is when there is a fight after a "clean" hockey check/hit.

Your mad at Dumba, be mad at the other two 6-foot plus guys for not taking on Tkachuck before he could get to Dumba. That, or maybe Dumba should hit the weight room and weigh more than 167 so he can play a grown-mans game in the NHL!
Jimtown guy
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Re: Fighting in the NHL

Post by Jimtown guy »

Lenny5160 wrote: Thu Apr 18, 2019 9:51 am
whiskerbiscuit wrote: Wed Apr 17, 2019 11:28 am There's plenty of scuffles around the net after whistles and I like those better than actual fights anyway.
I wish they would call all of that crap. And all of the crosschecks in the back in front of the net (the Parise special) or when a guy is already down. That's not hockey at any other level.
I hate that shit too. Nothing but face washes and headlocks. Proves nothing especially when it happens 20 some times a game
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Hornets
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Re: Fighting in the NHL

Post by Hornets »

Hole Nova Level wrote: Thu Apr 18, 2019 10:07 am I like it, it's necessary.

The only thing I don't like is when there is a fight after a "clean" hockey check/hit.

Your mad at Dumba, be mad at the other two 6-foot plus guys for not taking on Tkachuck before he could get to Dumba. That, or maybe Dumba should hit the weight room and weigh more than 167 so he can play a grown-mans game in the NHL!
I know your stance on this won't change so I won't try and change it. I would argue that if you dissect that Dumba fight closely, you have to agree that Dumba held his own and probably would have won it if not for the torn pec....you can tell the point where it tore as Dumba knew it was trouble at that point.
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mlhouse
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Re: Fighting in the NHL

Post by mlhouse »

The game was a lot different back in the old days of the NHL with the Broad Street Bullies and the Hanson (Carlson) Brothers from Slap Shot. It was a distinctly Canadian game with distinctly Canadian customs. To say I did not enjoy, particularly in person, watching Jack Carlson fight would be a lie although the fight I enjoyed the most was the galatic Neal Broten-Wayne Gretzky chick fest I had the honor to see in person.

But the underlying truth is one of the things they ignored back in Old Time Hockey was player safety. Fighting has to be eliminated. If this means that players slash and take cheap shots, that is what the refs are for. Call the penalties and teams will stop doing the dirty stuff.
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Hole Nova Level
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Re: Fighting in the NHL

Post by Hole Nova Level »

You can make the case to eliminate fighting. I will listen and have listened to it. I have an open mind to it. I've said before the NHL has an identity crisis and it shows it's ugly face many times throughout the season and in the playoffs.

The NHL I grew to love, you could deliver big booming-clean hits and not have to fight after, if a guy got boarded or hit from behind, you'd have to fight. The "code" was much clearer and the "rules" were clearer. The NHL went thru the "obstruction" faze to eliminate the big slow bodies from interfering with a fore-checker/back-checker/basically in free skating player, which included hooking and stick work that slowed down the speed of the game fine. With that tho, the NHL took on "concussions" (in their own secret way without admitting such) by taking out headshots. This created an overcompensation of sorts and basically blanketed open ice hits and the like. So now checking is done along the boards or in tight spaces and it gets ugly and in my opinion dangerous.

The line has been blurred with clean hits vs. not, cross checking has been brought up in this thread and how often it happens. Hits from behind are as frequent if not more frequent than ever, boarding etc.

Until those things get truly sorted out, I think fighting needs to remain. It's the great balance on the other side of that muddled grey area scale that the NHL has right now.

Fighting can go, but not until there is clear cut-clarity on checking, stick work, play/hits along the boards etc. Once that is sorted out properly (aka clear cut rules) then fighting can go.
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Hole Nova Level
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Re: Fighting in the NHL

Post by Hole Nova Level »

Oshie hit is EXACTLY why fighting has to stay right now.

Sort that out... till then. If you know hockey, played hockey you know that there is a certain spot on the hips/back that you can lean on/hit and take a player off their feet, similar to a slew foot, it will work 99 percent of the time and is a cheap and dangerous play to the one on the receiving end.

Outlaw it or don’t, till then.
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Re: Fighting in the NHL

Post by Jimtown guy »

Hole Nova Level wrote: Sat Apr 20, 2019 4:56 pm Oshie hit is EXACTLY why fighting has to stay right now.

Sort that out... till then. If you know hockey, played hockey you know that there is a certain spot on the hips/back that you can lean on/hit and take a player off their feet, similar to a slew foot, it will work 99 percent of the time and is a cheap and dangerous play to the one on the receiving end.

Outlaw it or don’t, till then.
I hear ya HNL. I’m so sick of the hits from behind. Defenseless player that often times results in an injury. It seems to happen more and more each season. Only way to combat it is to automatically suspend a player and fine the shit out of them. What they are doing now isn’t working. No reason Oshie should be done for the playoffs. That’s not a hockey play. My 2 cents
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Hole Nova Level
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Re: Fighting in the NHL

Post by Hole Nova Level »

Jimtown guy wrote: Sat Apr 20, 2019 5:26 pm
Hole Nova Level wrote: Sat Apr 20, 2019 4:56 pm Oshie hit is EXACTLY why fighting has to stay right now.

Sort that out... till then. If you know hockey, played hockey you know that there is a certain spot on the hips/back that you can lean on/hit and take a player off their feet, similar to a slew foot, it will work 99 percent of the time and is a cheap and dangerous play to the one on the receiving end.

Outlaw it or don’t, till then.
I hear ya HNL. I’m so sick of the hits from behind. Defenseless player that often times results in an injury. It seems to happen more and more each season. Only way to combat it is to automatically suspend a player and fine the shit out of them. What they are doing now isn’t working. No reason Oshie should be done for the playoffs. That’s not a hockey play. My 2 cents
Yes, the NHL has done a lot of great things over the last 20-30 seasons, it's a great game. The parody and growth, markets etc is the best in all of Pro sports right now.

They do need tho, to tighten the screws on these types of plays to the point of being preventative vs. reactive after the fact when the damage is already done.
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B-Town
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Re: Fighting in the NHL

Post by B-Town »

Agree with the OP. Any non-combat sport that allows their athletes to just assault each other (sometimes without the 2nd person really participating) is a joke. Fighting is a big reason why hockey isn't taken seriously at the national level.
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Re: Fighting in the NHL

Post by Sellingguy »

as they are dealing with in football, hockey needs to do the same thing.
the way the game is played and taught changed and they need to correct it.
If we pulled half the stuff you see in a game you would be called for it and benched.
That includes turning your back to a on coming hit.
They can get rid of it all all levels with one rule. Automatic 10 game suspension. no team will want to manage that to simply send a message.
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Re: Fighting in the NHL

Post by Slap Shot »

If they penalized all the douchebaggery they wouldn't need fights. How many just brutal cross-checks for instance go uncalled? They seem to do ok calling slashes, but the cross-checking is out of control. Brad Marchand should get pounded every game for what he's allowed to get away with.
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