Just gotta ask: Why do hockey fans (and hockey players) think fights are a natural part of the game?

It's because fighting IS part of the game. Here's a few reasons for it.

1) to protect star players. do you think gretzky would have had all those points if other players weren't so afraid of the big guy on the other team.

2) to build team motivation. a lot of times fighting is used to spur teammates on to play better

3) it is unique to the sport. it's what makes hockey different and fun to watch. there is no other team sport that allows fighting. the game will be changed a lot if they ever took it away.

also they do suspend players sometimes if they feel that a player was trying to injure the other player. Steve Ott from Dallas was suspended just last week for that. Also they do give game misconducts after only one fight from time to time; it just depends on the situation.

one more thing, if you don't like it, stick to basketball and whatever else, and stop trying to ruin the sport for everyone else.

So what you're telling me is that Marshawn Lynch, Captain Hit and Run, wouldn't fight fi it were allowed in football? I mean damn son, there were fights during the Super Bowl and nobody hit the skids, they just kept right on playing. Sports played by people who run dog fighting rings and wander into clubs with shotguns down their pant legs are going to play like Mother Theresa even if given the chance to do otherwise? There's no contact in basketball, and its slower than friggin molasses, of course the refs can monitor everything there. Same with baseball. Pretty sure its not a big deal to tell where the player is going weilding a bat and running in any shape other than a square. The jig is up, nipped in the bud.

Hockey is too fast for that kind of thing, and if those altercations, usually very minor anyway, occur, its a method of self policing. The fact remains, it ISN'T allowed, there are reprocussions, the fact that you don't understand how they work or their implications doesn't constitute a problem on the behalf of anyone else.

OK, lets take this 1 step at a time.

1) refs will NOT step in and stop a fight until or unless 1 player is down or injuried, or both are too tired to go on. To do so would be unsafe for both the ref, and the players. Imagine a ref grabing 1 players arms, making it impossible to defend himself, while the other player swings.

2) in basketball, you dont have large wooden sticks

3) in baseball, there is no time that the large wooden stick is in a spot to make contact with a player ( except for the catcher, and he knows it, and deals with that)

4) Fighting IS part of the game, in the same way that nucleur war was avoided by the threat of retaliation.

5) dirty hits, however, should be punished harder then they are now. Most fights in hockey are between 2 players that know they are going to fight, are ready to, and follow unwritten rules of fighting. However, dirty hits, hits from behind, and sucker punches are illegal, and not part of hockey. These should be punished harder, to help protect players. If that was the case, fighting would probably go down.

If you are not a fan, don't watch. In NCAA the referees break it up before any helmets are removed or punches can be thrown. Go watch the European or World Cup games where it's not as common.

The NHL is a different style of hockey. Not for everyone. They actually let one team retaliate when their star is targeted.

In baseball you would rather see batter after batter beaned?

In basketball you'd rather see a player shoot two free throws and the player who committed a hard obvious flagrant sent to the showers early?

In NFL you'd rather see 300 lb linemen shoving each other by the face mask for 3 minutes before the referees break it up?

To say this is exlusive to one professional sport is not very accurate.

You must be a member of the media...

Hockey is different than other sports. In hockey there is hard checking at a very fast speed. There are boards, on which you can break your neck. Most importantly, the players are carrying sticks, which can be used to deal out illegal punishment to another player. The point of fighting is for the players to self-regulate the game. A player will think twice about throwing a cheap shot if he knows he's gonna get absolutely pummeled right away for it.

"So who fought for Michael Jordan?"

Stupid anaolgy if ever there was one. Michael Jordan didn't play in a game with body checking and sticks and pucks which could be used as weapons if some idiot got angry enough.

Hockey in general is a more dangerous game.

All these idiots who want fighting out of Hockey, I hope you're going around whining for bans on boxing and UFC and Wrestling and every other form of pugilistic/fighting sport too you hypocrites.

It's been a part of the game since day 1 and if a bunch of pansies don't like it, there's a simple solution and it doesn't involve removing fighting: don't watch it!! Go watch your pansy basketball or baseball and leave Hockey alone!

If Michael Jordan was hit from behind by Bill Laimbeer were there Bulls over defending him?Yes...There is no hitting in basketball,no body checks.If Lebron James is fouled deliberately by a "Rebound type" player will other Cavs players hunt him down?Yes... .I see fights in that sport as well...I haven't seen a need for a hockey player to go after a fan since the 70s...Ron Artest anyone?

in hockey there are only some people who can fight and its usually for a good reason and if you were a ref then you wouldn't want to get in between two 6'5 angry guys who are p!ssed off

the whole idea of the competitive sport is entertainment. sadly, this is part of the entertainment. people LIKE to see these guys get in fights and get hurt. mayb those d*mn philly fans started that, lol. some of the fights are planned even. its like wrestling ha

Man....then Muhammad Ali got away with murder.

Edit: It is not common for player to fight....when it is NOT mutual.