My friend’s wife, a Minnesota native, loves a good hockey fight. Oh, she’ll attend fight-free games and enjoy them, but it’s really the fights that get her blood boiling and make the game exciting for her.
She is not alone. The divide between fight fans and fight haters is deeper than ever, with pundits and fans coming down strongly on one side or the other with very little middle ground. Some truly love it as pure gladiator-esque displays of passion. Others see fighting as a deterrent to dirty play–a way for the players to police a game that referees are hard-pressed to manage (“With a guy like Donald Brashear,” per Ted Leonsis, “it’s mutually assured destruction”). Those who hate fighting feel it has no place in the game and cartoonishly taints the sport they love.
Patrick Hruby of ESPN recently delved into “the world of hard-core hockey fight fans, the Cult of the Goon” on a multi-month exploratory mission. He even visited the Phone Booth to take in a Capitals-Penguins game on the strength of a potential Donald Brashear vs. George Laraque fight card (they were disappointed: no fight this time).
Hruby spoke with Ted Leonsis about dropping the gloves in the NHL:
“It’s a balancing act,” Caps owner Ted Leonsis says. “The day after that Atlanta game [OC: the fight-fest in November '06 with 176 PIM, $40k fines], I probably got 400 e-mails. Half of them went like this: ‘How dare you, I took my son or daughter to the game and have never been more embarrassed. I will never go to a game again. Fighting should be outlawed, and Donald Brashear should be suspended for life.’
“Meanwhile, the next e-mail would say, ‘That was the greatest game I’ve ever been to in my life. I love seeing the team stand up for each other.’”
Leonsis laughs. As a hockey fan, he respects and appreciates fighting; as an owner, he says his franchise wouldn’t build a marketing campaign around it. “Now, one complaint is too many. But let’s not forget that Atlanta did TV commercials promoting the rematch.”
Check out the rest of Hruby’s article, including his chat with Minnesota Wild heavyweight Derek Boogaard, in-depth discussions with the videotaping legions of fight fanatics, and a visit to the AHL for some rink-bound pummeling. As always, we invite you to share in the comments where you side in the on-ice pugilism debate.
15 Comments
Fight. Most hockey fans like a little fighting, some love a lot of fighting, few hate any fighting. People that don’t like hockey won’t like a sanitized version either. Only a lack of cash prevents me from buying a Brashear jersey.
Fight! Fight! Fight! The same words uttered in the school playground can still (and should still) be heard at NHL Hockey arenas. Personally, I love a good fight, but I think the fight should be done only in the context of the game, such as to turn the momentum around, excite the crowd when your team is down, that sort of thing. Don’t just fight to fight — have it mean something as to why you are fighting.
My comments fields were populated with some other info. The persons email had the word “group” in the domain. Something funky is definitely happening.
Thanks Victor,
It seems to happen on the most recent post with the last person who commented, but not consistently (I think). I have a question posted on the WordPress forum to help track down the problem.
Not sure what would have changed to cause this, unless it’s something with the server.
Let ‘em fight, I say. I much prefer seeing two guys square off face-to-face than dirty stickwork or hits from behind. Letting off some steam in a clear, open way is preferable to the kind of dirty (and, mind you, more dangerous) play that tends to surface in fight-less hockey environs. Plus it’s damned entertaining for the fans.
Fighting is of course illegal already. The question is whether the punishment is enough?
Fighting will never be eliminated in a sport you cannot run out of bounds and there is no where to hide. Occasionally emotions will boil over.
Sometimes the fighting can seem like a sideshow where designated combatants square off to test each other in a marginally important match for the benefit of teammates and fans. Of course is that any different than professional sports in general?
But there are times where fighting and the enforcer concept makes a lot of natural sense.
When a player goes outside of the bounds of the game there is often an immediate corrective measure taken. Not of another cheap shot but demanding a player be accountable for his actions through a fight. Whether this prevents transgressions is up for debate but the immediate “justice” often resets the game to an even standing without either team looking to escalate events further.
Additionally the mere presence of an enforcer is often enough to ensure the game is played on the up-and-up, allowing the skilled the room they need to be as remarkable as they are.
Is this the most enlightened thinking in the world. Well no, but it’s my hockey and it’s how I like it.
I think the hockey haters tend to but events like the Simon or McSoley incendents in the same context as two guys squareing off during the game. Unfortunatly the goon stuff gets more press than regular games. The Simon stuff gets first ten to fifteen minutes on ESPN, but the scores and highlights get the last. Now I am not advocating going back to the 70s style goon hockey, but sticking up for your teammates during the game is a good thing.
I like a good fight, but also recognize that fighting is really a minute portion of the game. Half the time guys are only fighting because one of them wants to ‘give his team a boost’, i.e. they are getting their asses kicked in the game. To me that’s not as good as two guys throwing down because they hate each other.
One thing to point out about the way the NHL handles fighting is that every other sport lends itself towards brawling whereas hockey has legislated that out of the game. Can you imagine two baseball players, alone, going toe-to-toe? Or basketball players?
Love the fighting and I believe the instigator penalty needs to be re-worked. It is mosdef part of the game as others have mentioned. I would think those 200 emails Ted receiving complaining don’t sound like fans that have been watching hockey very long…
To echo some sentiments already, I love a fight when two players hate each other and spontaneously explode in reaction to an event that just happened, either to one of those players or a teammate. That also includes two guys jawing away and one of them snapping.
But the fights between the “established” enforcers, which is often pre-destined, and done, as has been said, solely to change the momentum of a game, is tiresome and these days, with the regimented way in which these bouts unfold, almost crossing the line into the “cartoonish.”
The skill with which a guy like Brashear bobs and weaves, while on skates, the combatants carefully and deliberately orbiting each other, waiting for an opening to strike, is impressive, but not the kind of thing that excites me as a fan.
When those new to hockey have watched the game in my presence, and witness a fight, its the spontaneous variety that has stirred the passions of the viewer, and the “pre-determined” fights that have led to a dismissive reaction to the game.
I enjoy watching hockey. I enjoy watching playoff hockey and Olympic (or other international tournament) hockey more. Part of the reason is no fighting, part of the reason is there isn’t a spot reserved on the ice/bench for a “fighter”/”goon”.
Even Gretzky fought (sort of), so I know you’re never going to get away from it entirely. But I have to say that I like that the league is moving to a place where teams can’t afford to have a player who only has the skill of fighting (see Peat, Stephen). A player who fights now has to have other skills as well and be able to play a normal shift (see Brashear, Donald).
Pepper, I’m with you. A spur of the moment thing that appears out of nowhere is fine with me. The ones where you see the players talking to each other before the puck is dropped and then as soon as it hits the ice they start hitting each other…a waste. Throw ‘em both out. The game will be better without them.
All for it. Ultimately the point of shelling out bucks to watch the game is to be entertained. Fights are entertaining. Not to mention the ultimate deterrent to stickwork and cheapshots (retaliation will happen…one way or the other).
There ain’t nothing like a good fight! Creates a little extra excitement; especially for women, I think.
But someone near and dear to me always says, “Hockey isn’t about fighting!”. Oh please…. Bring it on! Brashear is my guy! If promoting it a little brings in some more fans, why not?!? I’m sure the male gender wouldn’t mind seeing a few more babes at The Phone Booth…
I am just like your wife I love a goodhockey fight in the game. I always root for the little guy
Interesting piece. I understand both sides’ pov, though I must confess to being a fight fan
Then again ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äù I watch HBO boxing!
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