by Patricia Cunningham

Created on: January 29, 2009   Last Updated: February 02, 2009

It's hockey season and fans everywhere look forward to plopping down in front of the TV to watch a hard-hitting, physical game full of fights, duels, bench-clearing brawls and wrestling matches on the ice. Are fans watching for love of the game or for the inevitable fights? It's hard to say which draws bigger crowds and viewers. The mayhem is a huge part of hockey and may keep the fans inflamed but bears no relation to how a team makes out.

George M. Engelhardt, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist, actually counted the number of fighting penalties NHL teams accumulated and looked at their final standings in the league during the 1989-90 season. He discovered a relationship between the team rankings and fighting penalty minutes. It was surprising. The more fighting penalties a team acquired, the lower the team's standing. He stated that "physical intimidation does not have the significance often attributed to it." He feels that if teams are interested in winning rather than "grandstanding", they should ditch the physical intimidation.

Whether fighting is a winning strategy for a team or not, it continues to draw big numbers and advertising dollars. The fans are the consumers and they LOVE the battles on the ice. It's clear by the audience reaction when opposing players drop their gloves and begin circling each other. They punch each other in the helmet (an interesting concept) until they tire out or a linesman breaks up the dance. Fans root for their home team player to win a fight and look forward to future games when players carrying grudges from their last meeting might drop the gloves again.

It's easy to understand the frustration players endure during a game. It's the constant contact, speed and gaining possession of the puck only to have it stolen away that provokes them. But why do the fans love it? Perhaps they envy a job where you can whack people when they do something objectionable. Imagine your coworker coming around a corner too quickly and banging into you while you're looking down at some papers. Would observers clap and yell for you to fight? Of course not! In hockey, fans want the most for their buck. A good game would include scoring, great saves and a few brawls. Some might consider a game full of skilled skating, scoring and speed without fights as boring.

It's easy to conclude that fans DO enjoy and even expect fighting in hockey. Maybe it's because fighting isn't allowed in our daily lives. Fantasy plays into the mindset of the viewer. "What if I was in that fight?" "I'd beat the *#) out of that guy!" Maybe it's the fact that in a controlled forum, like within a hockey game, fighting is allowed and encouraged. It fascinates us, gets our imagination and adrenaline flowing and leaves us wanting more.

So get the popcorn popping. It's hockey season and we want a good show!

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