Why fighting is good for hockey?

Actually, the NHL has fighting largely regulated...if a player leaves the bench to fight it's an automatic 10-game suspension.

Fighting has been proven ad nauseum to keep other stuff from going on. Examples- the European leagues don't allow fighting, so instead you see stickwork and related (US college hockey is the same).

Baseball- if you made it an automatic 20-game suspension for leaving the dugout/bullpen you'd eliminate the bench-clearing crap...essentially leave the batter and pitcher to settle things and you'd see things settle down pretty quick.

Basketball- same deal...leave bench and it's 10-15 games and ban the third-man-in stuff...if basketball players had to square up and actually throw punches mano-a-mano and not have either slap-and-tickle fights or "handbags at 10 paces" stuff...you'd put paid to this stuff immediately.

Soccer- see basketball.

BQ: Top cheddar half clapper.

Because real men know how to settle a dispute the right old-fashion way. shut your mouth and drop the gloves. See how tough you really are. The refs are there so it doesn't get out of hand or unfair. Fights that start after an initial fight (that could lead to a brawl) get the player ejected from the game though. It's certainly not "encouraged" nowadays, but fighting is part of the game. Just like field goals are part of the game in American Football. And, as mentioned, it can also act as a momentum shift. If you're team hasn't been playing well and the game is dull, someone beats the crap out of a player on the other team then you're gonna get pumped. Strategy. Hockey is the toughest and manliest sport there is.

Without fighting, big players could go around pounding the smaller, more skilled players.

Take for example Gretzky. He was an amazing forward, but he wasn't exactly tough. In an attempt to stop him, most teams would throw beasts to try to beat him up to slow him down or take him out of the game. To prevent from this, Gretzky often had a group of tough guys around him to keep other teams "honest".

You can allow for fights in hockey because the players fight on skates, and stop fighting when one of them falls. Much of the strength of a punch is from pushing off the ground with your foot, which you can't properly do on skates. If a big defensive end in football or a big powerforward in basketball is allowed to square up and punch and opponent in the face, there's a good chance someone will get seriously injured. There's no fighting etiquette in other sports because there's not supposed to be any fighting. Hockey fights are tough, but not all too dangerous. There are only a couple of injuries related to fighting each year, and the biggest stars rarely fight.

BQ: Top glove

I am actually indifferent to hockey fights. Rarely do I get pumped about a fight or really remember it a few hours later... Sometimes I find it exciting but usually I find it boring. The hits in the course of a game are more exciting than a ice circle and a sweater pull with a few missed jabs and one occasional solid punch thrown. Thumb me down for my answer but it's honest. If fights were eliminated I won't miss them... on the other hand, I won't call for them to be thrown out.

I know you wanted pro stances on fighting but I just had to say my rant about the hockey fight. I just don't see the big deal about a hockey fight. Maybe I spent too much time in 24 hour pool halls in my youth where I saw some bloody bashing where knives and blunt sticks were around. I see a lot of questions on this site about hockey fights and I guess it really gears up some people but I find it interesting that no seems to note how the playoffs are like 99% fight free and no one complains. Even the NHL fan seems to forget fighting when good hockey is played.

I agree with you. In hockey we have two guys throw some rocks and move on. In other sports it turns into an ugly war. That's why fighting is good for hockey.

BQ: Depends on the goalie. Take Henrik Lundqvist for example. His main weakness (by his standards) is top glove, and he's probably the best in the world 5 hole. He never gets beat there. I go top glove on him. Luongo on the other hand has a very quick glove, but is prone to giving up weak goals through his legs. I go 5 hole on him.

I think it's good because if they took fighting out of Hockey, they take Courage out of Hockey...and then it is left with Cheap Shots and Dirty hits. When fights start in hockey, it's better for the players to get all of the "hate" out of their system. If they couldn't do this, then you'll see a player get his head taken out regardless of what the official headshot rules are. Hockey is a fast paced game.....Way Faster than Basketball. In Basketball you have time to think about the actions and even consequences that will happen if you want to get some kind of fight going. In Hockey the players act/fight in the heat of the moment. Fighting is a way to defend and protect yourself. Can't protect yourself from a cheap shot to the head....but you CAN control what happens in a fight.

I also see it as a sign of respect in a weird way. If a player actually steps up and drops the glove to go one on one with the other player, that's way more Honorable and respectable then watching a hockey player going full speed and blindsiding him. Fighters gain respect in hockey, not all, but a lot. Best example: Tie Domi went to Bob Proberts funeral, they actually had respect for eachother even though they beat eachother up everytime they played. So that's why I think it's good for Hockey....Respect, Honor, Bravery and Courage.

BQ* 5 hole? lol

They can settle their problems fairly. This way you get less cheap shots like the flagrant fouls in the NBA. Plus it can be done safely in the NHL.

If you allowed activity such as this in the NBA players would be 'packing' their gloccs.

BQ: Chest because thats the only place for the shooter to shoot on me

Absolutely. It distinguishes the game from other team sports. Ratings go higher for games against tough rivals.

It shows that both teams have so much heart (or hate) for the game and the other players that they're willing to get into fist fights over the game. If that's not passion, I don't know what is.