Should fighting remain or be eliminated in hockey?

Yes

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by Willard King

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Fighting, is it good for Hockey?

The "hired goon" or "enforcer" as he is known by, has been a crucial part of hockey since its conception, the "goon" has a most important role. He looks after the skilled players on his team, without his presence the skilled players can be easily targeted, and their play is hampered, their ice time and space taken away, making them ineffectual. Skilled players have always loved having that added insurance, of having a tough guy to protect them, allowing them to play their game. With an enforcer on the team or on the ice, all the other players on the ice or in the game are well aware of what happens, or could happen if you take liberties with a team's skilled players. So the enforcer does emit a vibe, a clear don't screw around with our player's vibe, the bigger the reputation the more room there is for the skilled players on the ice.

This is but one example of what the league's GM's, and the NHL commissioner would look at. Take the average salary of an "enforcer" he might get a multi year deal worth a little over one million dollars, perhaps a little more if he has some hockey skills, as displayed by forwards like Ottawa's Chris Neil.

The average salary of the goal scorer or skilled forward, is often two or three times or more than the amount of what an enforcer might make. Danny Heatley might earn ten million dollars this season, but how could he earn this money if he had to fight for himself? Heatley makes the money he does, because he can play the game at a high skill level. Neil's skills and aggressiveness are no less appreciated by not only teammates, but coaches and fans alike. His aggressive play, lets the skilled players like Heatley have the room they need to perform their maneuvers, and utilize their goal scoring skills.

The salary difference alone is a good point but follow through with me on this point. The goon gets into a fight and breaks a bone in his hand, which could potentially sideline him for weeks, even months, depending on the severity of the injury. The salary loss of the enforcer is not as noticeable, and the line up can be adjusted around them. Another younger player or "call up" or depth player can take their place, and the team can carry on. Chris Neil at 1.2 million for this year when averaged out over 84 games it works out to just under $15 000 a game. But you take the enforcer out of the game, the other team will notice and should take advantage, it is up to the team to step up in the absence of their enforcer. This does not mean other players should assume the role, but if fighting is required someone must step up, and any team with heart and grit this is not a problem for the short term, or until the return of your enforcer. The time lost to injury for our enforcer can be balanced out with other players temporarily stepping up, young players getting a chance to showcase their skills.

That same injury may be applied to the skilled player, if the enforcer were absent and skilled players had to defend themselves, it would take away from their game. - which does happen time to time, as many skilled players are not aggressive enough or used to that style of play- unlike Calgary Flames captain Jerome Iginla who will drop the mitts to stir up his team, and defend himself and his teammates. - For Don Cherry and his faithful followers, (try to find a European player who will do that) the salary loss and hole in the line up, that an injury creates to a skilled player affects the whole team on every level. The same call ups might be used but not anywhere close to a reasonable replacement for a fifty goal scorer.

So the same injury to Danny Heatley would cost $119 000 a game, so if you had an injury that kept the player out for even a week which could be 3 or four games you are looking at a loss of half a million dollars a week! Or the loss of your enforcer at $45- $60 thousand dollars for that same week, you can do the math for yourself; Heatley is not a player you want side lined. Bare in mind the teams are still on the hook for the salary of a player injured or not. Money not being the sole point here, the skill and offence force is also missing, lowering the team's chances of winning, scoring goals and accruing points.

The points lost affect the injured player's line mates, who now have to adapt to a new line mate, form new chemistry and still be expected to play at a high level of performance. Their production will no doubt suffer, and overall the team suffers, short term or long term, it may even cause a team to miss the playoffs, which also is a huge boost to a team and its city, both in fan support and financial gains to its local economy.

So for all the anti fighting campaigners out there -take off the blinders and let the real hockey fans enjoy their game. If you truly don't like fighting in the game of hockey than limit your viewing to junior hockey if that is the style you like, but avoid our women's hockey it might prove to be still too rough yet, for the passive anti fighting fan. As our Canadian women know how to kick some ass, just ask any team (USA) that has faced them in the last few years. But don't jump on the bandwagon trying to ruin the real game of hockey for the rest of loyal hockey loving Canadians. Fighting has been a part of the culture of the game from the beginning, settling differences on the ice has kept the game pure, rivalries fresh and alive.

Author Ross Bernstein, a pro-fighting advocate whose many books on hockey include "The Code: The Unwritten Rules of Fighting and Retaliation in the NHL," said, by phone, that hockey needs fighting for two reasons: revenue and holding dirty players accountable. "The paying customers like it, so it serves a purpose," Bernstein says. "Plus, if you're doing something dirty, that's like whacking a guy in the mob. You have to take your medicine, and its war."

Skilled players can play their game, enforcers can still play their important roles in the game, and don't always fight just because they are dressed. How many goals would Wayne Gretzky have scored with out Semenko or McSorely?

A very valid point that cannot be dismissed because some anti hockey fighting fans don't know the history or have any real appreciation for our nation's game. Have some facts, have a real point to make but remember this the father of the late Don Sanderson, the man's child having suffered the fatal injury in a game earlier this season "He was a very passionate young man," Michael Sanderson says about his son. "It was also his passion that caused him the most trouble." he still firmly believes his son actions to fight during any game appropriate, even when the injury that was sustained eventually claimed his son.

Mike tells how the girl's team he coaches is rough, and that fights break out. He's played the sport; he knows fighting is embedded in it. He won't use the death of his 21-year-old sonby universal account about the best kid you could ever meetas a pulpit to rail against that which sets the game apart. "Other people won't understand this," Don Cherry told his coast-to-coast audience after attending Donald Sanderson's memorial service in Port Perry, Ont. "But Mike is a hockey guy."

If a parent of a child who died on the ice from fighting can have this feeling and opinion concerning the fighting in hockey, maybe the touchy feely "fans" who don't want fighting in hockey should re examine their own opinion. Trying to use this incident in attempts to aid their campaign against fighting in hockey is despicable.

Recent poll results from an online survey revealed that 54% of voters online voted against fighting being removed, clearly the votes show that fighting in hockey is part of the game and should NOT be removed. So the league, the GM's and the NHL commissioner and the responsible hockey fans who took the time to speak out, for the love of our game. Thank you for speaking up and of course to our unspoken leader, Don Cherry for his comments and support that he continually shows, for our Canadian troops and our hockey players at all levels, wherever they are. To sum up, the bottom line is fighting in hockey sells tickets, more people come to the games to see a fight, than the amount of "fans" that stay away because of them.

So the answer for the non violent hockey fans, if there are real Canadian hockey fans in that group. Is yes, yes it is good for hockey, on so many levels. The hired goon has always had a home in the great Canadian game of hockey, and this sports journalist hopes it will remain that way.

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