Is Fighting a Necessary Part of Hockey? Or Should it Be Banned?

Ice hockey is one of the only sports that does not carry out an ejection when somebody gets into a fight. There have been recent talks about the NHL banning fighting, but a lot of people believe the hockey fights are one of the main attractions of the game.

In no way does the NHL condone violence. There are unwritten rules in hockey and a lot of them pertain to fighting. There are a lot of things that NHL players just will not do. And for the odd person that does cross the line, they face scrutiny across the league and are often put under the watchful eye of the NHL Commissioner. Some of the actual written rules with fighting are not being the third man in, leaving the bench to join into a fight or altercation, and any use of a weapon. Sticks and gloves must be immediately dropped, if one is to take part in the fight. The penalty for a fight in the NHL is a five-minute major. If you get in the three fights in a game, you will get ejected, though this rarely happens. These rules are far more lenient than any other sport with exception of course of ultimate fighting and boxing. Fighting in leagues like the NFL or NBA always result in a suspension. Hockey also has players specifically on the team for fighting. Their known as hockey enforcers. These players are often the toughest players in the league and they try agitate the other players on the other team. More on hockey enforcers later. All players must listen to these rules, or they can face additional penalties for failure to comply. These penalties are typically known as misconducts and can range anywhere from two additional minutes to 10 minutes.

Lenient rulings with hockey fights are often only acceptable in the NHL and the higher skill levels of hockey, such as the American Junior League and North American professional minor leagues. The fighting is still illegal and will still result in a five-minute penalty. European leagues are often known for being "softer ," since they outlaw fighting completely. Anyone involved in fights will be ejected immediately from the game. These stricter rules also apply to all Olympic Games, women's hockey games, and most tiers of hockey under the AHL.

In the games where hockey fights are more acceptable, especially in the NHL, the teams may have enforcers. These are the players mentioned earlier, and will take a majority of the fights. These players try to get top players on the other team off their game and make them worry of an impending big hit or potential cheap shot. Cheap shots are not at all legal, however they do happen quite frequently and are often just minor to throw off the other players. Enforcers are also there to protect their own skilled players, who often do not take part in fights or more aggressive play. There is a code of conduct which is another unwritten rule and exists between players and referees known simply as "the code". Most players strictly adhere to these rules and fighting rarely gets out of control. The fights are nearly always just between the enforcers from each team and they will often have agreed with each other whether to fight or not. This means that neither will receive a penalty for being the instigator, which will warrant an ejection and an additional 2 minute penalty. Some hockey analysts like Don Cherry don't believe in the instigator rule and think it ruins the game and allows for enforcers to more freely punish skilled players. Don Cherry is known as old-school, and typically disagrees with the new age of the NHL hockey brass.

There have been many calls for more strict rules with fighting in the NHL, and especially in junior games, which often have teenagers playing against men aged 30+. The vast majority of hockey players enjoy the fighting aspect of the game, as do most fans. There are many other governing bodies which are very much anti-fighting and may not be long before fights become punishable in the NHL, Junior League's in all professional games as they are in many other leagues.