WANNA GO?!

Fighting, and it’s place in the modern game, seems to be the topic of conversation right now.

The great Bob Mckenzie of TSN wrote a solid piece on this subject on his blog and it included this factoid:

“When the Big Bad Bruins won the Stanley Cup in 1972, the entire team had 24 fighting majors. Columbus tough guy Jared Boll already has 20 fighting majors this season. The 1974 Philadelpia Flyers, aka the Broad Street Bullies, had 58 fighting majors the year they won the Cup.”

He also mentioned one of my strong beliefs, that calling the existing instigator penalty would help curb those ridiculous ‘stick-up for your buddy who got nailed with a clean hit’ fights:

“The primary recommendation of NHL GMs to put a dent in fighting is to simply call the existing instigator penalty more frequently.

This season, the two-minute minor for instigating has been called in only five to six per cent of all fights. That number should have been significantly higher because there has been a significant increase in fights where one player was using a fight to avenge a clean hit on one of his teammates.

NHL statistics indicated that 20 per cent of all fights this season in the NHL started because of a clean hit. The ensuing fight is the very definition of “instigating,” yet the instigators was rarely invoked.

That, and that alone, could significantly reduce the number of fights in the NHL. If the referees are going to assess the instigator more often, players will think twice before they stick up for a teammate who has been legally checked. If the team, not just the fighter, is penalized, the chances of amending behavior patterns will be much better.”

I love our game’s tough guy pugilists, they are a brave bunch beloved by both teammates and fans alike, but their usefulness is under attack - and on the way out.

Like it or not stiffer fighting penalties, mandatory visors (its coming), and potentially smaller roster sizes will erode the number of ‘fighters’ that team’s employ.

And finally, referring back to Mr. Mckenzie’s info about those violent, Slapshot-ish Flyers of the 1970s and their 59 fighting majors. The Stars engaged in two more scraps last night in the Gateway City to boost their team total to 39. Krys Barch is responsible for 18 of them – the next closest Star is Sutherby with 7.