Quote:
Originally Posted by Textcritic
I'm not qualified, which is why I depend on the expertise of others who will hopefully undertake the necessary study.
Clearly, I am not alone however. As we continue to see, the questions that I am raising are being echoed by others, and there are an increasing number of studies on the matter.
|
Yet, you (and many others) discount REPEATEDLY those closest to the game that say what effects that a well timed fight can have on the game..... The players themselves, the coaches on the bench who know when attitude/momentum changes, and the very people that are paid vast amounts of money to cobble together teams using every single piece of information they have from their own experiences.
If they are not the experts on the game and what does and does not work, then that means there is no such thing as an expert on hockey. Period. The game is not played in labs and petrie dishes or in algorythyms on some super powerful computer. Hockey is not static. Its an always evolving game that can change from minute to minute nevermind year to year.
The only real reason there is a vocal minority that wants fighting eliminated is because there are serious injuries (both long and short term as well as possible psychological damage) that can result from them. That's a legitimate and very honorable concern. When taken into context however, its a miniscule amount of players that this occurs to when compared to the amount of fighting that occurs. No question there are some really sad stories out there, but that's no different than any walk of life nor any occupation in life.
Im not trying to single you or anyone out about this, nor do I think anyone from either viewpoint will change their mind in any significant manner. However if we are going to ignore those closest to the actual topic and look for answers from some imaginary/nebulous expert who cant know any better, then the whole discussion is moot IMO.