The evidence we're gathering from the brains of dead athletes is pretty shocking. I'll admit I cheer during a fight, but given what we're seeing I have no problem with it being phased out.
Obviously fighting isn't the only cause of head injuries. There are plenty of guys who barely ever fought but will slip into a world of dementia in their 50s and 60s due to body checks. Fighting however is essentially useless and the easiest to eliminate. The stats show that for all the talk of them being a positive for the team (either by settling things down or amping them up), it's by and large a case of people who like fighting cherry picking instances where fighting may have had an impact. There are a few old time hockey guys I enjoy listening to, but their degree of cognitive bias is extreme.
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