Does fighting really belong in Hockey? 

For as long as I can remember fighting has been an important part of hockey.  Fighting adds an element that no other sport outside of boxing/ufc type stuff can bring to the table.  I have heard some say that hockey is a gentleman’s game and it should ban fighting for this very reason.  I say that fighting keeps those that would be dirty at bay therefore keeping hockey as a gentleman’s game. 


Fighting has been on a real decline in recent years.  You no longer see the Probert’s fighting every game anymore.  You might be lucky to see a fight every third game you watch.  Fighting has become one of the more strategic moves in the NHL today.  Now you see the home team fighting to fire the team and the fans back up.  A fight, or better yet, a beat down, can lift a slow team emotionally enough to turn the tide.


The best reason I can think of to keep fighting in hockey is for the game to police itself.  There are only so many referees and only so much they will/can catch.  Fighting allows a dirty player to reprimanded and make him think twice before he does another dirty thing.  Hockey is naturally a rough sport and fighting is part of that.  Hockey can also be graceful and skilled of which fighting is not a part.  Consider this, what if Crosby gets slashed behind the play breaking his wrist and puts him out for the season?  The ref’s miss the foul and nothing can be done about it.  Than would you want someone on the penguins to beat that guys ass?  Let’s face it the only reason stuff like that doesn’t happen more often is the repercussions that might occur afterward.  Not by the ref, not by the league but by the other team taking it out on his face. 


Can we argue that fighting brings fan favorites like Tie Domi of the Rangers years ago to the table and really puts butts back in the seats?  For a sport that has teams like the phoenix coyotes really struggling, doesn’t fighting need to remain in hockey?  Protecting stars should be in the NHL’s best interest and fighting can do just that by keeping the dirty players from hurting real stars.