I don't see why body checking will ever need to be eliminated from the game. There are probably a hundred times more hits in hockey than fights, but I doubt that the ratio of injuries related to fights to injuries related to hits is anywhere even close to that far apart.
Plus, the NHL is actively trying to reduce the worst types of hits in terms of causing injuries - hits from behind, hits to the head, etc.
Injuries are always going to be part of the game, but injuries to the head/brain will have to be significantly reduced. Fighting nearly solely targets the head, whereas body checking for the most part does not target the head. The rules on body checking can be changed to reduce head injuries, and have been. The rules for fighting cannot be similarly changed to reduce head injuries, and that's why fighting will have to be removed.
The league cannot be serious about trying to eliminate head injuries while fighting is still part of the game.
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