My thoughts:
- staged fights are dumb, look dumb, and i would be happy to see them gone
- hockey fights (thinking back to the cup run and iginla's bouts each round, that came from scrappy play) should be the only thing argued for.
- i love hockey fights, however, must say they should be considered a guilty pleasure.
i just don't see how fighting should be part of the games rules. watching that habs/leafs game and the parros incident made me sick to my stomach, i had to turn away (can't imagine what parros' parent/wife/children must have gone thru during those moments).
I realize all these players know what type of risk they are taking when they enter the arena, but getting hurt from a slapshot, from a skate blade, from a hit (heck, legal or not) are injuries related to the game of hockey. I just can't see a justification that when someone has a substancial life changing outcome due to a fight. I have heard folks on the radio here in TO saying that "it was a bad luck, one-off incident". i agree with that, however, the scenario that brought up this incident has no place in hockey.
I think once we get over the initial stigma of removing fighting from the game, it will make the game better. energy lines will still exist, but will be faster and more goal driven. "messages" need to be sent through the scoreboard, not by dressing a goon.
Love hockey fights, but put me down as a guy ready to vote against allowing fighting to continue to be allowed in the sport.
|