Quote:
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Originally Posted by Jarome Iginla
"Fighting helps hold players accountable for their actions on the ice, even more so than penalties. If it was taken out of the game, I believe there would be more illegal stickwork, most of it done out of sight of the referees; more slashes to the ankles or wrists, and in between pads; and more cross checks to the tailbone. Incidents of players taking such liberties are rare in today's game because fighting gives us the ability to hold each other accountable. If you play dirty, you're going to have to answer for it."
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I commend Iginla for this well written, intelligent and insightful piece. He truly is one of the best.
Having said that, my only question for Iginla here is why does he feel so strongly in support of this? Is it because he has seen the terrible effects that the absence of fighting has caused to the game? Or is he merely echoing what he has been told—what we have all been told—all our lives. It sounds reasonable, but then, if it were true, then we should expect to see a dramatic increase in stick work and stick-related injuries in the European leagues, should we not? Is there some sort of evidence beyond a players say so that actually supports their opinion?