Just like the previous two NHL seasons, this year has been no different with Director of Player Safety Brendan Shanahan handing out numerous suspensions in an attempt to cut down on violence in hockey.
Many people have also called for a ban on fighting. Yes, it would reduce some violence but it would do more harm than good. If fighting were banned, the amount of cheap-shots would increase because dirty players would know they would not have to answer the bell if they jacked up a star player.
Also saying players died because they fought is an utterly false statement. Derek Boogaard died because of a deadly combination of alcohol and oxycodone not because he was an enforcer. Legendary Red Wings and Blackhawks enforcer Bob Probert died because of heart complications caused by many years of alcohol and cocaine abuse, not because of his fights.
Fighting has always been an integral part of hockey, and the NHL would lose fans willing to spend hard-earned money to go to games. They would also lose fans who watch games on TV. Let’s face it, as Americans we love violence.
A well-timed fight can give a team that spark they need to win a game. Fighting also acts as protection for star players. If someone jacked up Sidney Crosby, wouldn’t you want Deryk Engelland or Tanner Glass to do something about it? I know I would.
The infamous Todd Bertuzzi-Steve Moore incident is not a legitimate reason why fighting should be taken out of hockey. It all started a few weeks before in a previous Avalanche/Canucks game where Moore hit Canucks’ star Markus Naslund in the head and gave him a minor concussion and knocked Naslund out of the lineup for three games. Their next meeting was nothing of importance with nothing happening in a 5-5 tie.
However, the next game five days later, would prove to be Moore’s last game in the NHL. Early in the game, he squared off with Matt Cooke, and late in the game, Bertuzzi was sent out to instigate another fight with Moore, but Moore refused to fight Bertuzzi which ended with Bertuzzi punching Moore in the back of the head and driving him into the ice. The force of Bertuzzi’s punch and the weight of the other players who jumped on Moore and Bertuzzi was what caused Moore to break his neck. Banning fighting would not prevent things like this from happening in the future.
In conclusion, it would be a colossal mistake for Commissioner Gary Bettman and Brendan Shanahan to ban fighting in hockey. Not only would they more than likely lose fans, but they would be taking away an integral part of hockey.