If you're reading this, chances are you're a fight fan and want fighting to stay. But if you're not, then I'm gonna try to give you a few good reasons on why fighting is actually necessary for the sport.
So these are them. And remember these are only my opinions (and also those of a bunch of other people)
1. Protect your assets
Picture this. Your the owner of a brand new multimillion dollar, state of the art facility in a not-so-good neighbourhood. You decide in order to keep bad guys away from your new building, you should hire a security guard. Now this security guard, he is one mean looking SOB. He's big, and no one wants to mess with him or with the new building. This is what an enforcer can do for a hockey team. First and foremost, we need to think about the bigger picture; Hockey is a business as well as a sport. Billions of dollars are spent every year in professional hockey. If you are a team owner, and you want to make a profit, you need to fill your building every night with fans willing to spend their hard earned cash on a product that they enjoy. This means you need a competitive team that is capable of putting up wins, which hopefully will lead to winning a championship. In order to do this, you need certain players on the team that are more skilled than others and are able to help lead the team to that championship. These are the teams greatest assets and you need something to help protect those assets. Put it this way, I am not a fan of Sidney Crosby, yet I'll admit that he's a wicked player, one of the best in the league. But I'll also admit that if I were playing against him, I'd love to line him up with a huge, clean, open-ice hit and take him out of the game, giving my team a better chance to win. But I'll tell you what, if I looked down his bench and saw Eric Godard sitting there, (the same Eric Godard that TKO'd the 6"7 Derek Boogaard,) I'd most likely think twice about doing that. Think of it like this, have you ever gone to the bar with a bunch of your best friends and had some drunk asshole try to start something with your smallest buddy, and you all jump in to defend him? Or perhaps you had a couple guys that were with you that were known as being tough as nails, and were big enough to make most people leave you guys alone in the first place? That's the same effect an enforcer has with opposing teams. This allows the smaller skilled players to go out and do their thing, which is score goals and win games, without having to constantly watch their backs all game. Now don't get me wrong, I think all players are fair game, just expect payback if you decide to go after one.
2. Keep players honest
Intimidation plays a big part in sports. It all goes back to the mentality we had growing up; you may be better at something than me but I'm bigger and tougher so I can beat you up! If a team of small skilled players comes into play a team who is bigger and meaner, the bigger team will surely try to use that to their advantage. By intimidating the smaller team, they can get them off their game, which gives the bigger team a better chance to win. Whether it be playing within or outside of the rules, there are many ways one team can intimidate another. Playing physical with big hits or roughing and using illegal stick work like spearing and slashing are all common methods in today's game. The way an enforcer can stop this is by simply saying "you go after one of our smaller skilled players, you can expect me to come after you and your teammates even harder." Most times, players wont cross the line with more skilled players because it simply isn't worth it in the end. Why use a dirty hit on a Sedin twin for example, when you know your gonna have Darcy Hordichuk, Shane O'Brien, Willie Mitchell, Kevin Bieksa and Rob Davison coming after you and your skilled players for the rest of the game trying to exact revenge? Like I said, maybe its just not worth it. This also helps teams play a little bit better and braver, knowing they have someone looking over them for the game. I'm not trying to say you can't hit the other teams top players, cause I personally think everyone is fair game, just use discretion when you go to lay a big hit or slash someone. A perfect example of this is when Wayne Gretzky used to play. The reason no one ever messed with him?? Five words...Dave Semenko and Marty McSorley.
3. Helps attract fans
"I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out!" I love this phrase. This is true for the old 70's style of hockey where there were literally bench clearing brawls every week. It's not like that anymore, which is a shame for me and fight fans haha. Nowadays, fighting is up (thank god), but its not to the point where it takes away from the game. I don't go to a game specifically for the fights, because I am a hockey fan in general. I love all aspects of the game, whether its a nice goal, a great save, a big hit, or an awesome fight. I've always said the best type of game to watch is one where your home team wins 6-5, there are big hits and a couple fights. This is what makes hockey so different from other sports. Its the only one where fighting is allowed, and has been since day one. I'm sick of so many non-hockey fans calling for a stop to it, because they don't understand the game. The best question to ask yourself, and its been said a million times, is "do you ever see people leave the stands during a fight?" NO, they stand and cheer and go nuts!!!
4. Keeps the integrity of the game
Like I said before, hockey is the one major sport that allows fighting. Well, technically it doesn't "allow" it, as they do hand out a five minute major for it. That's what makes hockey unique. Fighting has been here since day one, and believe it or not, all the best players have fought at one time. Gretzky, Lemieux, Howe etc have all dropped the mitts at one time or another. Why? Because its a part of the game! There have been so many rule changes in the past 10 years and its starting to feel like its almost a joke the way the league is being run. Why can't we just keep it the same as its always been? There never was an issue with it 50 years ago, so I say we just leave it alone and go back to the basics that made this the best sport in the world. One thing I like to look at, is the fact that Wayne Gretzky, arguably the best player to ever play hockey, dressed Brian Mcgrattan, Brandon Prust AND Todd Fedoruk (All tough guys) on the same line recently for Phoenix. Not bad for a guy who was considered one of the softest players to ever play the game. Apparently he understands what it means to have tough guys on a team ;)
Ok, so I do know that there are a bunch of good rebuttles that can be used to argue why fighting in hockey SHOULD be taken out, but I don't agree with them, and this is my blog, so too bad!
I'm going to leave you with a few videos to take a look at. I don't care if you don't like him, Don Cherry is one of my idols, and he knows his stuff, regardless whether you like his opinions or not. Just listen to what he has to say
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