It's Not Part of the Game...

Next Step – Let Refs Police The Game

2014-10-23T13:20:00.001-04:00

Some fight fans believe that the NHL is slowly and methodically changing their rules to remove fisticuffs from hockey. That may be giving the league too much credit but let’s assume the premise is correct – what should their next step be? Something stealthy of course and a subtle change that they could claim wasn’t a change at all.
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The End Of The Enforcer?

2014-10-09T10:30:00.001-04:00

This past week several articles appeared that asked that question and then reported on the number of enforcers who are out of work or were put on waivers and sent to the minors. There was wailing and gnashing of teeth amongst the fight fans and former enforcers were quoted saying the direction was a mistake. However, although in my opinion these player moves were positive for hockey, I suspect the NHL fight culture didn’t change overnight.

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Rat PIM Update – Fighters Versus Rats

2014-03-25T23:04:00.001-04:00

The popular opinion of those who support fighting is that it controls the Rats in the game. There is the contrary position that some of the enforcers are also the biggest Rats. But if we compiled a list of the top fighters and the top Rats – what would the statistics tell us.

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Beating a Dead Horse – Fighting Increases Cheap Shots

2014-03-01T15:19:00.001-05:00

Of all the myths associated with why fighting is “part of the game” the perception that it somehow controls the rats in the game is the most pervasive. Common sense, or simply being a hockey fan for an extended period of time, would tell you that the opposite is true. And then of course you could simply rely on the facts.

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Olympic Hockey Proves Fighting is Stupid

2014-02-17T13:54:00.000-05:00

A lot of anti-fighting hockey fans will use the Olympics as an argument of why fighting is not needed in the sport. The rebuttal from pro-fight fans is that Olympic hockey is too unique and cannot be used as a comparison to the same sport played by the NHL. I think the pro-fight fan may be correct.

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NHL Has Very Little Control Over Their Sport

2014-01-19T10:43:00.000-05:00

“Celebrate The Game!” is displayed prominently across the webpage for ScotiaBank Hockey Day In Canada. This is a major promotion for the CBC and the NHL and it was appropriate that the final game of the night showed the type of play that the league has ignored, tolerated and supported. Vancouver and Calgary waited an entire 2 seconds after the opening face-off to give us “Slapshot 2014”.

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It’s Not Part of the Game – Second Anniversary

2014-01-01T12:56:00.000-05:00

On January 1, 2012, at 12:56 PM, I published my first article on this blog. If you merely look at the status quo in the NHL you may not think much has changed. But I believe that over the past 24 months there has been tremendous progress in removing fighting from hockey.

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Rat PIM Update – A Month of Fighting

2013-12-29T20:43:00.000-05:00

I’ve been busy over the past few weeks, watching a lot of hockey fights. Not exactly my favourite thing but necessary in order to collect some additional data on fighting, enforcers and the impact on Rat PIM. As always when you look beyond the general perception of an activity you get a better sense of what is really happening.

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Thornton Attacks Orpik – What Went Wrong & Who’s At Fault

2013-12-09T20:51:00.001-05:00

By now any hockey fan has read 2 or 18 articles that covered Shawn Thornton’s assault on Brooks Orpik. Everyone has an opinion on what occurred, who should have done what and when they should have done it. Speculation on discipline and fan comments filled blogs, Twitter, website comments and actual pages that still use ink. But who was really at fault here.

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Rambling Thoughts on the NHL Concussion Lawsuit

2013-11-26T22:41:00.002-05:00

I was surprised by my reaction to Monday’s announcement of retired players filing a lawsuit against the NHL. If you have read any of my posts over the last 2 years it’s obvious that I’m no fan of fighting and I always expected a lawsuit would be brought against the league at some point. Still I was disappointed to finally see it happen.

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The Code – Creating Honor Amongst Enforcers, or Excuses

2013-11-23T23:00:00.001-05:00

“The Code”. That mythical set of rules that is trotted out at various times to create honor amongst hockey enforcers and excuse the dishonorable conduct that more often results from enforcers in the game. Those who support fighting will mention the history and tradition of dropping the gloves and that players have long used “The Code” to police the game. But just how long has “The Code” existed.

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The Fighting In Hockey Debate Isn’t Going Away

2013-11-16T21:57:00.001-05:00

You might think that there appears to be more news articles and blog posts on the subject of whether fighting in hockey should be reduced or banned outright. And you would be correct. I’ve been posting regularly on this topic for almost two years now and I’m encouraged that more writers are publishing opinion pieces and fact based articles – even without a major brawl or fight-induced concussion to prompt it.

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Rat PIM Update - NHL Enforcers Vs Rats

2013-11-10T14:39:00.000-05:00

Over the past several weeks we have heard from current and former players, as well as hockey notables, about how fighting is needed to reduce or eliminate cheap shots in the sport. Without the Enforcer role the “Rats” would take over the game. The consensus is so strong and prevalent that there must be some evidence that would support the pro-fighting viewpoint. It would be hard to believe that individuals who play the game at the highest level are relying solely on perception.

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With Apologies to Bobby Orr and Brian Burke, All Fights Are Stupid

2013-11-02T14:42:00.000-04:00

Over the past few weeks we have heard from two prominent hockey insiders on why fighting belongs in hockey. An excerpt from Bobby Orr’s new book was widely distributed by the media and Brian Burke had his own guest column on the subject. Both tried to show that fighting was an honorable and necessary activity in the NHL. And then Emery demonstrated why all of their arguments are bullshit.

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Shanahan – NHL Enforcer’s Days Are Numbered

2013-10-17T15:28:00.002-04:00

Brendan Shanahan departed from his usual script during his most recent suspension announcement to express his disappointment with a few of NHLPA members. “The NHL Department of Player Safety is overworked and stretched to the limit because certain players are doing whatever the hell they like and not focusing on hockey. I’m talking about enforcers and their inability to protect their teammates and take care of the rats”.

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Fighting Vs Visors – Does the NHL Care About Player Safety

2013-10-14T21:05:00.001-04:00

The recent concussion suffered by George Parros and yesterday’s seizure suffered by USHL player Dylan Chanter, both as a result of a fight, got me thinking about visors. The NHL was gravely concerned about eye injuries and last January decided to grandfather in the mandatory wearing of protective face shields. I find it very strange that they brought in a rule that protects a few players while many more suffer serious injuries during a fight.

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Fighting In Hockey Debate – NHLPA Has The Last Word

2013-10-05T22:28:00.001-04:00

Last Tuesday George Parros was taken from the game on a stretcher after hitting the ice face first while engaged in a fight with Colton Orr. The last 4 days has been full of media coverage and blog posts calling for the end of fighting in hockey. In response we also heard from current players on a wide range of teams providing vocal support for the role of the enforcer. The latter group has the final say on any change in penalties or efforts to reduce fighting.

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No Surprises From Leafs – Sabres Brawl

2013-09-23T20:14:00.003-04:00

So last night the Buffalo Sabres visited the Toronto Maple Leafs for a meaningless preseason game and anyone who is a hockey fan has read an article or watched the video. If you missed then you can catch up on the news here at the National Post or at The Toronto Star. Any long-time hockey watchers wouldn’t be surprised by the action or the results.

A Round Up of Recent News On Hockey Fights and Concussions

2013-09-15T21:20:00.002-04:00

At a meeting this past August a group of Canadian doctor’s came down firmly on the NHL’s lack of action on concussions and fighting. It made a lot of news and got spun into several other opinions and news pieces. Here’s my thoughts on a sample of what was published.

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NHL & NHLPA Earn Fees While EA Sports Promotes Fighting In Hockey

2013-06-08T21:03:00.000-04:00

In the past few weeks EA Sports has ramped up their promotion of NHL 14 and is targeting fans of the hockey video game series to drive orders before the official release. Prominent in their advertising and early reviews is the new feature, the “Enforcer Engine” The majority of hype about NHL 14 is about fighting, and the NHL and NHLPA collect fees from every copy sold while hockey’s image suffers.

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An Open Letter to Donald Fehr and the NHLPA

2013-05-27T20:32:00.002-04:00

On Wednesday, May 22nd, an announcement was made on Radio-Canada.ca that Donald Fehr and the NHLPA would seek to curb fighting in the NHL. According to the report this direction was announced at a meeting on April 25th with a dozen influential agents. This announcement is only the beginning and we are a long way away from seeing real action on the issue of fighting in hockey. With that in mind I thought that I would write a letter to Fehr and NHLPA membership and see if I could offer some advice on how to move the discussion forward.

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Donald Fehr and NHLPA Seek to Curb Fighting in NHL

2013-05-22T21:03:00.000-04:00

It would appear that some leadership on the issue of fighting in the NHL is emerging, and not from the league or the teams. It was announced today on the French Radio Canada website that Donald Fehr and the NHLPA are working towards the elimination of fighting in the NHL.

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Rat PIM Update – Leafs Enforcers Policing the Game

2013-05-10T22:02:00.001-04:00

Hockey enforcers are touted as “policemen” in hockey. According to some they hand out retribution for cheap shots and their targets will think twice before about repeating their sins. It has even been suggested that their mere presence on the bench will calm things down and their opponents will play differently. Unfortunately that’s all myth and perception because the facts tell a different story.

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Is Fighting Part of NHL’s Marketing, Or Are They Embarrassed By It

2013-04-23T22:05:00.000-04:00

“It’s time we took some action because, if something isn’t done soon, it will ruin the game for all of us. I’ve never seen so much stuff like this. I never thought it could be so bad. It’s becoming a disaster,” he said. “The idiot owners, the incompetent coaches, the inept players are dragging the game into the mud. They’re destroying it with their senseless violence.” When one of hockey’s top players speaks out you would expect that the league and the NHLPA would listen and perhaps respond. Except the NHL has never fully articulated its stance on fighting and violence despite ample opportunity to do so.

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Am I the Only One Who Believes Fighting is Bad for Hockey?

2013-04-18T20:48:00.004-04:00

I’ve spent more than a year publishing 3 or 4 articles per month on why fighting and enforcers are negatively impacting the sport of hockey. Most are opinion pieces but a significant amount provide data and research that dispels the myths that the hockey establishment (players, coaches, team and league executives) uses to explain why it remains in the game. But I’m not the only one providing real facts on why fighting hurts the team.

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