I’ve never fully understood the “we need to get rid of fighting because of head trauma”. A quick google search claims roughly 5800 people have ever played in the NHL with an unknown percentage ever experiencing severe head trauma and an even smaller amount having to go through the severe after effects that it can cause I just don’t get why some people treat fighting or hard hitting in hockey like an opioid epidemic that needs removing. Look at jobs like king crab fishing where on average someone dies a season. Do you see people championing for the stoppage of that? The fact is that like crab fishing this is a sport where there are risks. And like anything in life you weigh the pros and the cons and if you decide it’s a roll of the dice your willing to take you go for it.
Athletes are highly compensated for the potential injuries they could sustain. And when it happens it’s unfortunate but so is any other workplace injury where the hazards are known. Percentage wise being a hockey enforcer is a hell of a lot safer then hundreds if not thousands of jobs in our own continent that pay fractions of even what a low paid enforcer does so it seems like the oddest group of people to champion for. I’m sure 90 percent or more of this board would sign up for the pay cheques they get full knowing the risks and potential consequences that come with it as well.
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