I’m tired of the NHL trying to regulate/ban fighting.
It’s sad that Don Sanderson died, but I do not think that the NHL should take into account what happens in another league. The NHL is full of millionaires getting big bucks for the most part and they get paid to take those risks. A tower crane operator gets paid big bucks because there is a chance he’s going to fall a few hundred feet to his death. The NHL is trying to take away all the risk associated with the game.
The league is talking about only letting players fight after an illegal hit which would ban fights that were after legal hits and what they call “staged fights”. This means no fights off the faceoff. I guess next time George Parros and Raitis Ivanans want to fight they are going to have to get their permission slips signed by Colin Campbell.
In my opinion Colin Campbell should have to step down from his position as disciplinarian. How are you going to have someone hold that position when their own son plays in the league? Are you going to say that he would suspend Gregory Campbell or that there wouldn’t be bias when analyzing an illegal play involving his son? It’s like having a judge try his son for a civil crime.
Fighting is one of things that makes hockey unique to other sports and they just need to leave it alone. If you ask someone who does not watch hockey what they think of it, the first thing out of their mouth is “I like when they fight”.
I think Don Cherry was right when he was saying how the NHL has committees for everything. They got a competition committee and they have a head shot committee, they just need to play the game and stop messing around with it.
For the most part I don’t like the direction the league is heading by trying to take the physical play out of the league. Hits that were applauded a few years ago are frowned upon and fighting that has become a facet in the league is being scrutinized and could possibly be taken out. I can say that at the rate we’re going, that in 40 years when I’m in my 60s, I probably won’t be watching NHL hockey anymore.
… And could someone please tell St. Louis to stop playing Pink during a fight, I feel embarrassed for them.
