Obligatory fighting in hockey debate thread #84, version 3

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

I've said this before, but the only way an anti-fighting advocate could use "safety" as an argument without being disingenuous would be if they advocate removing ALL CONTACT from hockey. Otherwise, you are simply cherry picking which aspects of player safety you care about to suit personal opinion.

Absolutely I cherry pick! So do you! Difference is, I do it based on evidence, you do it based on entertainment value.

Do you agree with removing head shots? Flying elbows? Slashing to the face?

All of those are banned because if the high potential for serious injury. It's a scale, not an all or none. You can't remove hitting as I agree is a vital part of the game. With the type of hitting that's allowed, it's justified because chance of injury is low enough. There isn't a magic spot and we're all arguing where that spot is. Recent evidence shows that CTE is very real, very prevalent and very dangerous. Unfortunately, it mostly manifests long after a players career when it's out of the limelight and too late for regret.

I'm confused on your argument then. Is everything is allowed, or do you choose what is allowed based on entertainment value?

[Resolute 14]

There is nothing confusing about my argument, you are simply attempting be obtuse for dramatic effect. Adding strawman arguments wondering if my support of fighting actually means I think that "everything [should be] allowed" does not help. You can play at being smug and superior up on your high horse all you want. It doesn't impress me.

Fighting is part of the game - you don't have to like that fact, but it remains true. The players know the risks. They choose to accept those risks in exchange for highly lucrative careers. Both they and the league accept it because the fans go nuts over it. It sells the game.

[EldrickOnIce]

Had not seen this referenced in main forum... probably is in back burner.

Adirondack Flames Trevor Gillies smashes the face of Rochester rookie forward into the ice after a fight in last game.
Regardless of one's stance on fighting, there is no place in the game for this... and certainly not in the Flames organization.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-pu...065553920.html

[Resolute 14]

Agreed there. Wasn't a fan of signing him, and hopefully Adirondack does the right thing and sends him packing.

[Stay Golden]

Came for fight posts left disappointed.

[Sport Psych]

Originally Posted by EldrickOnIce

Had not seen this referenced in main forum... probably is in back burner.

Adirondack Flames Trevor Gillies smashes the face of Rochester rookie forward into the ice after a fight in last game.
Regardless of one's stance on fighting, there is no place in the game for this... and certainly not in the Flames organization.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-pu...065553920.html

What a POS Gillies is. Like Resolute said, the sooner Adirondack punts him, the better. He's an embarrassment to the Flames' silks.

[Boreal]

Yup. He epitomizes the word goof and the word clown. I would imagine he was brought in as an opportunity to respectfully turn his career around like Big Urn but, McGratten wouldn't pull that garbage in the NHL let alone the AHL.

I thought this bump was about the Kypreos Cox debate on HNIC, but I was sadly mistaken.

[Meers]

There's no place for players like Gilles in professional hockey. Cut him and be done with it.

[Split98]

Has Gilles been punted yet?

[V]

I don't see the value in facepunchers going at it against each other, but I also don't understand the workplace safety side of the argument either. Fighting has been a part of the game for forever, and players know that it's part of the game. They also would prefer it stayed in the game, based on survey results.

I don't see why fighting can't just be a game misconduct. Let the facepunchers punch each other for entertainment value, and then get on with the game. Fans get their entertainment, facepunchers get to punch, and everyone's happy. Facepunchers become far less relevant as the games become more important, so really, they aren't there for much more than entertainment anyways.