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NHL Fight


driscol

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I have not done enough boob research lately...damnit!

To answer the first part, don't say its a false claim that fighting and enforcement limits cheap shots. Obvious we can't prove that either way, however, a lot of people understand and see it that way.

When it comes to comparing it to football, you're talking about illegal hits that have ruined many careers. I cannot think of one instance where a fight in hockey has ruined a career. I can think of many cheap shots and illegal hits that have.

You mention if you were a professional athlete you would feel safer. It is very rare to hear a professional hockey player worry about their safety on the ice, even rarer to hear an NHL player say that he's worried about getting hurt in a fight. If they aren't complaining, why would any one else?

Any rule can be ignored in the heat of the moment. Look at the Miami v. Florida International football game a couple weeks ago. I will say this again, the unwritten rules are followed by hockey players 90% of the time, sorry if you do not believe me, but that is the case. Going back to what got me in trouble with triouxper, I don't expect people outside of the game to understand that, but it is truly the case. Obviously there are exceptions, but exceptions happen everywhere in life.

Time for me to go home now, maybe I'll go to the bar for a hockey game and to try to get some further boob research done...

I knew if you hung around long enough you would start making sense. Someone cue Mafia Man on the gratuitous boob research material.

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You don't think college hockey would be more popular if the NHL were more popular? I think it would.

I guess I wouldn't agree with you on that one PCM. IMHO, the number one thing that hurts college hockey's popularity is the number of college hockey programs throughout the nation. West of North Dakota, what is there....5 or 6 programs? South of the Mason/Dixon line, 1 or 2 programs? That's a large portion of our country. College football is so huge because it's found everywhere in the nation. Basketball is pretty much the same way. Of the schools that do have college hockey, what is there, 8-10 powerhouses that contend for the national title every year. These are the programs where support is strong. The other schools struggle to sell out arena's of 6,000 or less capacity. Is that because of the fighting or the low quality product that's on the ice? When do those arena's sell out? When a North Dakota, Minnesota, or Boston College come to town.

On the brighter side, I'm trying to sell college hockey to the south down here, to as many people as I can, but it's tough to compete with the SEC football games. I don't know why? I see no comparison. Hockey blows away any SEC football game, but these rednecks don't listen to me! :whistling:

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:whistling::lol:

Another reminder of why I have Zippy the Pinhead on ignore.

1. You don't think college hockey would be more popular if the NHL were more popular?

2. My point is that college hockey is hurt by the image of professional hockey because most people don't understand the difference. To the average sports fan, hockey is hockey and fighting is a part of hockey.

3. I'm not saying that minimizing fighting in the NHL would instantly elevate it to the status of the NFL, NBA or MLB. I do think that more people would watch it, however, and I don't think that any fewer people would.

1. Yes I do, but...

2. I see this as two parts. The first part I can somewhat accept in that professional sports typically receive more exposure nationwide and the fact is the NHL isn't that popular, but I'm not ready to accept the claim the polularity of the NHL is hurt to any significant degree because of fighting.

3. Perhaps.

That said, I think it would be interesting to see the NHL adopt the NCAA's rules for a season and see what happens. It might give us an indication either way. The problem is the league would be fighting the owners who don't want to see their players miss significant ice-time and the NHLPA or whatever its called because unions never want to see rules imoplemented that 'hurt' their members.

Maybe they could use it the AHL to at least experiment, but the problem there is it wouldn't necessarily indicate what would happen 'popularity' wise in the NHL.

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Another reminder of why I have Zippy the Pinhead on ignore.

1. Yes I do, but...

2. I see this as two parts. The first part I can somewhat accept in that professional sports typically receive more exposure nationwide and the fact is the NHL isn't that popular, but I'm not ready to accept the claim the polularity of the NHL is hurt to any significant degree because of fighting.

3. Perhaps.

That said, I think it would be interesting to see the NHL adopt the NCAA's rules for a season and see what happens. It might give us an indication either way. The problem is the league would be fighting the owners who don't want to see their players miss significant ice-time and the NHLPA or whatever its called because unions never want to see rules imoplemented that 'hurt' their members.

Maybe they could use it the AHL to at least experiment, but the problem there is it wouldn't necessarily indicate what would happen 'popularity' wise in the NHL.

slappy has me on ignore, yet he still responds. Don't worry folks, he's still going to make a special guest appearance on my "Feel The Love" tour 06-07.

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So, since NHL hockey (or even hockey, period) is infinitely more popular in Canada than it is in the US, can it be inferred that Canadians are all blood-thirsty neanderthals that don't know better than to watch because the NHL is so poisoned with fighting? Or am I oversimplifying things?

To me it seems to be a stretch to base the popularity level of hockey (in the US) on whether fighting is allowed or not. Didn't someone say earlier in this thread that debating fighting in hockey is akin to debating 80's rock and short hair/long hair?

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Let me first say that I can't stand the cheorographed fights that happen in the NHL. But for all you non-fighting supporters out there: Do you stand up when a scrum breaks out in front of the net? How about when Schnieder or Prpich single handedly lit up the competitionn? Commodore and the UW player's broken nose? Don't forget that the incident got him noticed by the NHL.

Scrums and fighting happen in the NHL and NCAA. Maybe it's wrong to allow it, but it sure is strange that damn near the entire stadium will stand up and start cheering. Maybe we are all brutes.

Go ahead and say there aren't unwritten rules; but in hockey, fighting seems to have them. Sure they are imperfect and broken, but aren't all rules?

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Let me first say that I can't stand the cheorographed fights that happen in the NHL. But for all you non-fighting supporters out there: Do you stand up when a scrum breaks out in front of the net?

That's not the same thing. There are lots of scrums, but most don't result in anyone dropping the gloves.

How about when Schnieder or Prpich single handedly lit up the competitionn?
I would place the Prpich fight under the choreographed type you say you can't stand. It could easily have been stopped by the officials. I didn't see how the Schneider fight started, so I can't comment on that one.

At any rate, I stated earlier in this thread that because of the intensity, sticks and physical nature of hockey, fights are inevitiable in hockey when tempers flare. Those don't bother me because I understand why they happen.

Commodore and the UW player's broken nose? Don't forget that the incident got him noticed by the NHL.

Hadn't he already been drafted by the Devils when that happened? And even if he hadn't, so what? Are you saying that nobody in the NHL would have noticed after his championship season in 2000? Seems unlikely.

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That's not the same thing. There are lots of scrums, but most don't result in anyone dropping the gloves.

I would place the Prpich fight under the choreographed type you say you can't stand. It could easily have been stopped by the officials. I didn't see how the Schneider fight started, so I can't comment on that one.

At any rate, I stated earlier in this thread that because of the intensity, sticks and physical nature of hockey, fights are inevitiable in hockey when tempers flare. Those don't bother me because I understand why they happen.

Hadn't he already been drafted by the Devils when that happened? And even if he hadn't, so what? Are you saying that nobody in the NHL would have noticed after his championship season in 2000? Seems unlikely.

Didn't see Prpich live, but beside the point. Did you stand up? Cheer? You didn't answer my question. Since I'm sure you were in the press box, would you have stood if you were in the crowd?

I was referring to a scrum as a sudo-fight.

As for Commodore, I just remember how many scouts started showing up to watch him after that fight. I think the coaches said every team wanted a tape of the fight. He certainly improved his standing. Would he have been too old to be drafted after that 2000 Frozen Four? Either way, I am sure he would've been signed. Are you saying that the fight didn't help him get drafted into the NHL?

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So, since NHL hockey (or even hockey, period) is infinitely more popular in Canada than it is in the US, can it be inferred that Canadians are all blood-thirsty neanderthals that don't know better than to watch because the NHL is so poisoned with fighting? Or am I oversimplifying things?

I thought it was obvious that we were discussing the state of hockey in the U.S., not in Canada where its popularity needs no help. So if fighting is what makes hockey great in Canada, why isn't the game even more popular in violence-loving, bloodthirsty America?

To me it seems to be a stretch to base the popularity level of hockey (in the US) on whether fighting is allowed or not.
Who said it was? I said it might help the game's popularity in this country by improving its image. In hockey-loving regions like parts of North Dakota and all of Minnesota, the game's image needs no help, just as it needs no help outside of Canada. And that's where I think many in this discussion are making a mistake. They think that because everyone they know agrees with them, there's no problem.

I don't expect anyone who's satisfied with the status quo to agree with me. I'm interested in improving the game in ways that can actually protect the players and broaden its appeal. That would mean making some changes. I don't claim those changes would make hockey an overnight sensation. That's actually a spinoff benefit, not the ultimate goal.

Didn't someone say earlier in this thread that debating fighting in hockey is akin to debating 80's rock and short hair/long hair?

Not that I recall.

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Didn't see Prpich live, but beside the point. Did you stand up? Cheer? You didn't answer my question. Since I'm sure you were in the press box, would you have stood if you were in the crowd?

You're right. No standing and no cheering in the press box. If I'd been a spectator, I probably would have had to stand to see what was happening. Cheered? I doubt it.

I was referring to a scrum as a sudo-fight.
I got that. It's not what I'm talking about.

As for Commodore, I just remember how many scouts started showing up to watch him after that fight. I think the coaches said every team wanted a tape of the fight. He certainly improved his standing. Would he have been too old to be drafted after that 2000 Frozen Four? Either way, I am sure he would've been signed.

Commodore was drafted in 1999, which I believe was after the fight with Alex Brooks.

Are you saying that the fight didn't help him get drafted into the NHL?

I'm sure it did, given the fact that there was even more emphasis on fighting in the NHL at that time. I still think he would have been drafted anyway and don't know what that has to do with this discussion or my position on fighting.

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