Basically, players will no longer be able to:
- remove their helmets prior to fighting
- circle around and posture & preen before engaging in the fight
- fight right off a faceoff
- deliberately throw their opponent to the ice during the fight
Is this going to eliminate some fights? Yes, it will. But I don't think it's going to have nearly the negative effect on fighting that some folks might think.
Look at the NHL - most fights there do not feature helmet removal and the players don't waste everybody's time for 30 seconds before engaging either. Fights right off the faceoff are rare as well. Despite all that, fighting in the NHL is up almost 60% since 2005-06.
Guys who want to fight are still going to be able to fight, they just have to keep their helmets on (which means more battered knuckles but isn't going to stop most fighters) and have to get right to business, which I don't think is going to be a problem either after the first couple times they see the linesmen step in early. And they have to pick their spots better, no more jawing at the faceoff and dropping the gloves at the drop of the puck - they'll just have to let the play run for a few seconds first and make an effort to get involved in it. This part will probably be the one which deters some fights, but overall it isn't going to change much for most players, I don't think.
Do I like the new rules? No, not really....I didn't see there being a problem with the fighting rules before. But I don't think the new rules change things all that much either. I'd be surprised if we saw even a 10% decline in fights in the WHL this year. Might be a number worth tracking....
7 comments:
I hear what you're saying but for me personally it's just the principle of the matter. A stupid knee-jerk reaction to an unfortunate fluke incident. The helmet rule is understandable as the league needed that to assure insurance for the players. But all these extra rules are just garbage as far as I'm concerned. Just another way to take the emotion and intensity out of the game. The sport wants to grow wants to sell yet they try and curb one of the most exciting parts of the game.
I can guarantee you there will be more injuries from broken knuckles/hands this season than there ever would be from someone hitting their head on the ice.
I have to agree.... The powers that be in hockey are trying so hard to reach a new audience, but are doing nothing but losing the fans they always had..... I think I said this before but I'd rather see a 2-1 multiple fight situation game, with a rare goalie fight thrown in.... Then some 10-9 boring NHL all-star game shootout where no one wants to be physical.... Hockey is at it's best when you can see the pure emotion. I hope the players adjust well and don't become afraid to drop the gloves.
Yes, but don't you want those fights to at least be related to the game?
I'd rather see a game with one or two fights which come about because of a hit (clean or dirty), or because of some trash talk, or something like that, than see four faceoffs in a row that feature a fight at puck-drop between two guys who just came off the bench for no reason other than to fight each other.
Why are they fighting? It has nothing to do with the game being played and nothing to do with hockey.
The "sending a message" stuff is the kind of garbage the game needs to get rid of. It's a beautiful sport and fighting is a part of it, and I would never want fighting to not be a part of it. But it needs to be related to the game and not just fighting for fighting's sake. That's what boxing or the UFC is for.
Fighting is already way down compared to where it was 5 years ago. I think its kind of disappointing to be honest.
Was there a specific even that caused these changes to take effect?
I've got to disagree with you here Alan - but only partially. The WHL doesn't have the GOON vs GOON fights that the NHL has. In the Show the goon gets 3 shifts per game, usually against the other goon, so they can fight. Players contribute a lot more at the WHL level. Case in point:
In 2007 this was game of the year, and it was on Shaw: http://whl.ca/stats/game-summary.php?game_id=1002077
The game started with Garet Hunt fighting Derek Dorsett off the drop of the puck. After they cleaned up the yard sale and put both players in the box Milan Lucic and Jordan Bendfeld dropped the gloves and went at it.
Those fights, "staged" or not, had everything to do with the intensity of the game and desire for either team to find an emotional boost. Listen to Dan Russell call the game, listen to the fans in Medicine Hat that night, and then watch the rest of the game. I dare you to find a better regular season game that year between two teams that aren't natural divisional/geographic rivals.
And it all started with 2 "staged" scraps. And two of those players are in the NHL and the other two are teammates in the ECHL.
Lance - you make a good point and I won't deny that there are games like this out there where the "staged" fights are actually enhancing the game.
The thing is though, this is kind of the exception that proves the rule. This was a clash between two top teams at the top of the standings. What's the rationale for multiple staged scraps between two bottom feeders on a snowy January night? Or the ones late in an 8-0 game?
I look at another Vancouver-Medicine Hat game that season, from the Memorial Cup when Milan Lucic had "The Shift" at the start of their round-robin game. He ran over every Tigers player on the ice until Bendfeld felt obligated to fight him to defend his teammates. To me that's a perfect example of what fighting in the game should primarily be about - reacting to something that has happened in the game. And I think most fights do come about for this reason - somebody does something or says something and it has to be answered.
For what it's worth though, the new rules don't mean the staged fights from your example have to go away. There's still going to be moments when everyone knows two guys are going to fight, it just means they have to play the game for 5 or 10 seconds from the faceoff first.
As an American who was never a big hockey fan I used to think that fighting in hockey was meaningless function in an uninteresting sport. That began to change when Everett was granted a franchise and I started attending a few games in the name of local entertainment. I quickly developed an interest, and then a passion for the game and now could not imagine hockey without fighting. Fighting is a potential variable in every hockey game. A game within the game that adds to the intrigue and complexity, while invoking passion and intensity for both players and fans. I understand the safety concerns, but it seems to me that there is more potential for injury in many of the other aspects of the game.
Post a Comment