[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Couple things.

First, this injury could have been prevented if they hadn't taken the lids off. That's not a thing anymore in the NHL and it shouldn't be in the AHL either. Yes, leaving them on means you're more likely to hurt your hand, but it makes it less likely that you hit your head on the ice, and even if you don't, less likely that a punch catches you in a way to do permanent damage.

Second, I am fine with getting rid of fighting, but I like the way it's trending right now. The number of fights has been declining steadily. The NHL just needs to keep prioritizing what they have been and after a few more years like this, we'll be able to get rid of fighting without even having to have much of an argument about it, because it'll be more or less already done.

Third, if they do remove fighting, now or in the future, it needs to be accompanied by a massive overhaul in officiating generally. Part of that is taking measures to eliminate bull#### by guys like Marchand who are just terrible humans and have no respect for the game or the other people they're on the ice with. Like, the lick results in 2 minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct and an immediate suspension. Another part of it is increasing the duration of suspensions for illegal hits and lowering the threshold, particularly where it's clearly avoidable but doesn't cause an injury (but could have). Unfortunately, that last part in particular is a really tough sell, for reasons that make no sense, but it just needs to happen.