As the controversy of fighting in hockey grows, SportMedBC’s Safety Coordinator Seb Hartell gives us his thoughts about on ice safety and how things can improve moving forward. So, sorry, hockey fans. Carbery knows just as well as anybody the dangers of fighting. For those of us charged with the safety and well-being of the young men on our teams this is not an academic exercise. When two players drop the gloves, fans rise to their feet and cheer on the two combatants. The absurdist debate about the future of fighting in the NHL may have sunk to rock bottom Tuesday night, the opening day of the NHL season—hockey Christmas, in other words. The answer isn’t really simple and even staunch hockey traditionalists are beginning to question the relevance of fighting in today’s modern game. The truth is that a combination of tradition, the physical nature of hockey and the necessity to intimidate one’s opponent is ultimately why players are allowed to fight in hockey. Abstract . Since videos of the fight have spread across the internet, the debate about fighting in hockey has been a hot topic. Fighting in hockey, although publically stated is prohibited, is encouraged in minor leagues and the National Hockey League Fighting is engrained in the sport and will be forever. Ice Hockey fighting should be banned because people say hockey was made for to take all your rage out. Fighting is an established tradition in North American ice hockey, with a long history that involves many levels of amateur and professional play and includes some notable individual fights. NHL Senior Vice President and Director of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell said the League is well-versed in the issues surrounding fighting and understands what needs to be addressed. The debate about fighting has raged on for decades. Many hockey fans are quick to point to fighting when discussions and debates about concussions in hockey begin. Many players and hockey officials argue that eliminating fighting will lead to a chippier game. Here are some of the common points and counterpoints in the hockey fighting debate. The aggressive styles of play and attitudes have evolved into one of the most violent team sports. Fighting in Hockey -- Player Perceptions . Fighting has been an officially accepted part of hockey at the professional level for almost a century. Many will argue that fighting should be banned from hockey based on the hypocrisy of the message the NHL is trying to send to it's players: you can drop the gloves and pound an opponent in the temple with a flurry of punches, but you can't drive any part of … More from Business Of Hockey … Fighting has been utilized as a marketing Hockey fans tend to range completely across that spectrum making the NHL Fighting debate one of the more controversial topics in the league. “If you take fighting out of the game, star players will be left unprotected and suffer more injuries” The role that fighting plays in hockey is a hot conversational topic. Rule 46 in the NHL rule book allows referees to determine appropriate penalties after a fight. Thankfully, those who debate against this topic try to use shame to stop this one, with statements that state racism is archaic and has no place in pro hockey. Is Fighting in Hockey Fair or Foul Play? Ice Hockey Fighting should be banned. Others will drink full-calorie beer – damn the torpedoes and the bloat. With the Connor McDavid fight Tuesday night sparking another round of heated debate on the future of fighting in hockey, the former high round pick juniors were quick to … And as kids we couldn't do … That’s how many feel about fighting in hockey; some are willing to tolerate the low-cal version, while others will never be satisfied unless it’s full-steam ahead. NHL hockey is synonymous with fighting. With player safety being a growing concern in all sports, I find it hard to believe that there is still a debate on fighting in hockey. “Fighting hurts the growth of the game” — When we discuss the growth of hockey, we mean in the U.S., and I have a hard time buying that America wants less violence in their contact sports. As with any debate, there are those for and those opposed. But fighting in hockey is different because the underlying foundation in which all these unwritten rules are based on is respect. To fully understand how fighting has become a staple in hockey, the only sport in which it is not totally against the rules, the lens must be … A debate is raging on social media after an Ontario Hockey League star touted as the potential first-overall pick in the 2015 NHL draft was injured in an on-ice fight. My hockey mentor and myself were taking about the fighting debate and he made a good point. Hey there, time traveller! Retired from hockey, Thomson has spent years recommending a blanket ban on fighting in the sport and cites falling registration numbers at the youth level as evidence violence is bad for the game. Let’s play devil’s advocate and take a look at both sides equally. Given all that has happened in the past five years , … This is where the debate of fighting in hockey comes into play. Rising hockey star and debate about fighting By Marc Montgomery | english@rcinet.ca Posted: Wednesday, November 12, 2014 09:50 Last Updated: Wednesday, April 22, 2020 15:15 In most cases when players want to fight they talk about it on the ice, drop the gloves so that no one gets the jump on the other, fight, then stop when one goes down or … Sometimes, in our heated debate over fighting in hockey, the arguing takes precedence over the issue at hand. If those advocates against fighting/hitting took a moment to understand the other side of … There’s a serious disconnect in the NHL concussion debate. The incident Tuesday night is fuel for a renewed debate, however, on whether fighting should be abolished from the game. The CBA 5 of 13 The debate about fighting in major junior hockey will continue. There is a certain amount of physicality involved in all levels of hockey. Fighting in hockey is an age long debate that won’t be resolved anytime soon. "In the ongoing battle to prevent concussions in hockey, many experts are questioning the role of fighting … In three professional seasons, Carbery had 56 fights, including 22 bouts in 29 games during the 2008-09 season. I say, that if ice hockey fighting keeps going there will be trash talking and then bullying. “Back in the day if you hit Gretzky you had to pay by fighting Stu Grimson. Amateur hockey player Donald Sanderson’s death has attracted national headlines in Canada and revived a longstanding debate over what role fighting should play in hockey. After all, the pro-fighting crowd, which includes many players themselves, have their own studies to point to that say fighting actually helps teams win games. The fact that fighting in hockey shows both negligent and reckless challenges, whilst providing little benefit to the game, helps to further prove why I think fighting is unethical. Have spread across the internet, the debate about fighting has raged on for decades of... 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