Hockey Clips

Fighting is officially illegal in the NHL, North American junior leagues, and professional North American minor leagues. A five-minute penalty is given to those involved in the fight, and penalties can also be given for instigation if one player is the clear cause of the fight. The fact that fighting does not lead to ejection from the game, as it does in Minor Hockey, College and European leagues, and all international competition, has been a source of criticism for the game. For others, fights can be an important draw of the game.Some players are hired primarily as “enforcers” with the primary duty of preventing dirty play by the other team. Some enforcers take on the role of protecting star players, like Semenko and McSorley’s protection of Wayne Gretzky. These tactics generally lead to more fights, however, not less. During Gretzky’s time with the Edmonton Oilers (1978-1988), the NHL had twice as many fights than it did during the 1970s. Enforcers may develop passionate rivalries, which present themselves in the form of multiple rematches.Fighting is governed by a set of informal rules in the game, such as both players agreeing to the fight, only fighting enforcers, and respecting the right to decline a fight due to injuries or exhaustion. However, a declined fight is only postponed, not cancelled.Popular and notable fights are often viewed again by fans after the fact on video-sharing websites, but some fights and incidents have also reached the national consciousness. In particular, a hockey-fighting camp run by well-known New York Rangers enforcer Derek Boogaard has drawn criticism.While some people consider fighting an integral part of the sport, there are a growing number of advocates for banning the practice completely. Such a ban could help make the game safer and avoid negative media attention for the sport. The proponents of the ban claim that fighting is unsportsmanlike and wastes game time, and also point to international and college leagues as examples of fighting-free leagues that have not seen rises in other types of violence (such as with the hockey stick itself).This is a subject that will remain a hot-button issue among fans of the sport, but we hope that the discussion can be carried out with civility and logic. Otherwise, we may lose track of what makes the game so special in the first place.