The+Effects+of+Fighting+in+the+NHL+on+Junior+Hockey

The Effects of Fighting in the NHL on Junior Hockey

The National Hockey League (NHL) is known to many as the best league in the world; young North Americans strive to get drafted, Europeans dream of being scouted. With all the attention the NHL gets, it is no wonder that players in the junior leagues emulate their favourite players that they watch every night. Though this can result in great skill and creativity on the ice, it can also result in players becoming what can only be called goons. Fighting has been part of hockey since its inception. Fighting plays an important role in competitive hockey; it gets players motivated, it gets the fans more into the game, and can shift the momentum of the game in the winning player’s team’s favour. Though it gives a great strategic advantage, fighting also has its cost; lately, there have been many fighting related incidents that have resulted in severe injuries or even fatalities. Rules

__ Rule 56 and 47  __ Rule 56 was introduced into the NHL in 1922 under the name //Fisticuffs//. The basic idea of the rule is as follows: If a player is involved in a fight, he is automatically given a 5 minute major penalty. If a player is found to be the instigator of a fight, he is given a 2 minute minor instigator penalty. If any player not involved in the fight gets involved (called the “Third Man In” rule), this results in a match penalty for that player. Much of this is left to the referee’s discretion whether any additional penalties or misconduct penalties are to be given to any players involved. The rule also deals with fining and suspension of the players as a result of any of these action. The NHL no longer uses rule 56, and now governs fighting under rule 47. Though the essence of the rule has not changed, the wording and organization of it has in order to provide a much clearer and more definite description of the rule. Despite being more definite, the rule still gives the referee great discretion in determining how a fight is to occur, and how the players involved are to be penalized. The rules implemented by the NHL trickle down to the juniors for the most part; however the disciplinary stance for fighting taken by leagues other than the NHL is much harsher. For example, fighting in the OHL carries with it the penalty of being immediately ejected from the game. Though rules like this are implemented as a deterrent towards fighting, fights still occur. History

The sport of hockey has taken many different forms since its inception in the early 1800s; however the one thing that was common throughout all of these forms is fighting. Toughness was just a normal part of the game, as players were constantly being injured. When professional hockey was picked up in New York in the mid 1920s, then boxing and wrestling promoter Tex Rickard (who ran Madison Square Garden) began promoting hockey as a violent bloodbath much like his boxing and wrestling matches in order to draw fans. (Bernstein, 2006) Though fighting was much less prevalent before the 60s, the fights were much more brutal ("Fighting in ice hockey," Wikipedia). How NHL Fighting Affects the Juniors

Most NHL enforcers got their start in the juniors in Canada, fighting their hardest to get scouted; the odds are stacked against them, as out of 22 players each team has only one or two enforcers. Because of these odds, players do what they can to get noticed, and that means getting in a lot of fights. Unlike other sports, where the draft pool is a university or college NCAA tournament, hockey players have no fallback; very few play for school teams, bypassing school altogether to play junior with hopes of being drafted. (Bernstein 2006) Though two men fighting in the NHL seems relatively harmless enough to allow in the juniors, it is just the opposite; having a 16 year old fight a 20 year old can be quite unfair, not to mention dangerous. When all is said and done, the juniors are a proving ground for young players to show their worth. Enforcers are no exception to this rule, and as a result the fighting in the juniors can get quite brutal. Any ruling made on fighting by the NHL would trickle down to the juniors; if these players are training to get drafted into the NHL, it would make sense for the league to adopt any rule that the NHL holds, especially such a controversial rule as fighting.

How The Juniors Affect NHL Rules

Many occurrences have sparked the debate within the juniors to change their stance on fighting, however none more resounding than the recent death of Whitby Dunlops player Don Sanderson; Sanderson was engaged in a fight when he fell, hitting his unprotected head on the ice ("Hockey player's death prompts helmet questions," TheSpec.com). Because of the recent events in hockey (and more specifically the first ever fighting related death) the juniors may be changing the rules to better ensure the safety of their players. A new rule has already been implemented in the OHL that forbids players to remove their helmets prior to fighting (Hackel 2009), else facing a one game suspension; though this may not seem like much, however the mandatory visor or face shields used in the OHL prevent two people from squaring off, due to the risk of breaking knuckles on a hard helmet or face mask. This ruling shows that attitudes towards fighting are changing, and as NHL Director of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell continues to discuss a ban on fighting in the NHL, it is becoming increasingly obvious that something is going to change soon.

Social Effects

__ Slapshot Culture __ Polls show that hockey fans like to see fighting (TheStar.com 2007). This is nothing new, as the way hockey was advertised to New Yorkers was through the fighting (and it was very successful, see: Tex Rickard). This is best displayed by the film “__Slapshot”__; it is a story of a team of goons, led by the Hanson brothers, who gain popularity and success through rough play and fighting. Though this seems barbaric in nature, it is not far off from reality. Hockey fans attend games to see players compete to win; part of this competition is displaying toughness. With ever bone crunching hit comes a roar of approval from the fans; one would be hard-pressed to find a fan in their seat during a fight. The prospect of a fight is a great draw for fans, as the chance of a fight occurring in any given game has been hovering around 55% for quite a few years. (HockeyFights.com 2009) Hockey fans want to see fighting, and short of a very high profile death, it is unlikely that this will change any time soon. To Fight or Not To Fight

The topic of abolishing fighting from the game has been ongoing for many years. Since fighting is such a long-standing aspect of the sport, it carries some importance to the fans, as well as some strategic importance to the players; however is this really enough to continue risking the wellbeing (or even lives) of the players? The removal of fighting from hockey will most definitely have some effect on the dynamic of the game. Star players will no longer have the protection of an enforcer if they are no longer allowed to fight; Gretzky’s career would be largely different if it were not for being protected by Semenko or McSorley. Without the enforcer being able to effectively do his job of protecting the star players, these players will become targets for big hits, mostly with malicious intent. Fighting also holds another important role in hockey; players are expected to defend their actions. This is all part of the “code” that hockey players adhere to; when a player commits a dirty play, he is expected to defend his actions in a fight, if it were to come to that. (Bernstein 2006) Not doing so would result in bad blood, and a large lack of respect between the players in the league. The question will always hang over the heads of league officials, regardless of what league they officiate, until a definite stance is taken. Fighting is a dangerous yet necessary part of the game, and some decision needs to be made for the sake of the players; some of their careers depend on it.

__ References  __ Bernstein, Ross. “The Code: The Unwritten Rules of Fighting and Retaliation in the NHL.” Illinois: Triumph Books, 2006. “Fighting in ice hockey.” __Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia__. 4 February 2009. 5 February 2009.  “NHL Rulebook.” __NHL.com__. 5 February 2009.  “Rule 47: fighting.” __NHL.com__. 5 February 2009.  Ritchie, David. “By implementing no-fight ban, NHL would send powerful message.” __The Daily Gleaner__. 7 January 2009. 5 February 2009.  Friedman, Elliot. “OHL ruling will affect NHL in long run.” __CBC.ca__ 20 January 2009. 5 February 2009.  “NHL Fight Stats.”__Hockeyfights.com__. 2008. 5 February 2009.  “Hockey fans like fighting: poll.” __TheStar.com__. 5 April 2007. 5 February 2009.  Hackel, Stu. “O.H.L. to Announce New Helmet Rule on Fighting.” __NYTimes.com__. 13 January 2009. 5 February 2009.  “Hockey player’s death prompts helmet questions.” __TheSpec.com__. 2 January 2009. 5 February 2009. < http://www.thespec.com/News/BreakingNews/article/489744>