Quote:
Originally Posted by flamesfan1297
Without fighting then there just be dirtier hits
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That may be true or it may not. But there is no proof to support that argument. There
is fighting in the league now and there
are dirty hits now. Before the instigator penalty there was fighting and there were dirty hits too.
Growing up watching hockey in the 80's, before the instigator, there were plenty of fights. There were also a lot more dirty hits from what I recall. Messier made a career out of hurting guys with cheap shots, as did many other players. The biggest difference now is that there is a lot more coverage (TV, internet) of the dirty hits and as a result there is a lot more public outrage.
Granted, my position is anecdotal and has as little proof as yours.
Part of the reason that the NHL has always been a fringe sport in the US is because of the fighting. The running joke in the US used to be "I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out." The people that are hard core hockey fans and that grew up with the game and all of it's 'interesting' cultural uniqueness love fighting and what it brings to the game. As a result of this culture, hockey has a bit of a parriah status in certain portions of the North American sporting culture. That in itself isn't the reason to remove fighting from the game but I do think it's a factor. In general, I think it's time for the game to grow up.