lol these conversations always get so ridiculous. If we want to talk about other sports, what other sport do people feel so personally attached to preserving a penalized act?Genuine question because I can’t think of one. But I believe that if you need to talk about combat sports to make your point then you don’t really have one, because hockey is a contact sport, not a combat sport, so let’s stay with hockey.
What other penalty do people passionately defend? Tripping? Diving? Imagine how silly this would sound if people were saying “don’t tell people how to live their lives!” because they wanted high sticking out of the game. Do people idolize Marty McSorely for his high sticking prowess?
Helmets, visors, neck guards, plenty of things have been implemented for the safety of players that they don’t all like. Maybe it’s telling them how to live their lives but sometimes that’s for the best.
As far as the question over why bother if it’s already a penalty and rare, why wouldn’t you bother? If you’re one small step away from eliminating it altogether, might as well, as there’s zero downside. Most leagues outside the NHL ban it outright. It delays the game and is nothing but a short and long term injury risk. I watch hockey because I like hockey and enjoy it most when it’s the best players playing their best. I don’t need a circus to keep me entertained.
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