Fighting delivers a knock-out blow

A public opinion poll by Harris-Decima of over 1,000 Canadians recently revealed that although the numbers of those who want fighting out of hockey are up, they are not up enough to entice the NHL to actually do anything about it.

Just 54 per cent want to see fighting removed, while 40 per cent feel the opposite. The rest had no opinion or had no answer. This is a complete contrast against the recent wave of angry viewers and media of Canada’s frozen pastime.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and others who represent the league claim that fighting is “a part of hockey” and to change the rule after a century of fisticuffs would be attacking the integrity of the game. It may come as a surprise to these people to find that those who have lived with fighting the longest are the most eager to see it go. Almost two-thirds of people over age 50 think fighting should be banned.

Fighting is up in the NHL this season roughly by about 50 per cent, which even fight enthusiasts are willing to admit is a problem; especially when many fights do not come in the pressure of the game but instead as pre-arranged bouts between heavyweights right after face-offs.

It is these kinds of fights that the league is willing to investigate and possibly threaten suspensions over in the future. However, the heat of the moment battles that are the ones that are tradition and have to remain in the game. After all, they say players need an outlet for their aggression and frustration.

Have you ever competed with another person to get a taxi? Did you punch them in the nose to help your cause?

One of the highest percentages came from those who follow hockey closely and think that fighting should stay: 68 per cent. These are the people who truly know hockey; how it’s played, the emotion involved, the long history of the only major team sport in the world to condone in-game hostilities.

Whether you love it or hate it, pay attention the next time you see a hockey fight. It is hard to argue that a fight does not add a certain stimulation to the game. It’s dangerous. It’s ugly. But it’s exciting. The interest may be there simply because you can’t walk down the street and punch people in the nose for their taxis. Or perhaps we have just lived with it for so long that it’s hard to even consider hockey without fighting; or is it the other way around?

The survey shows that 52 per cent of men who were asked thought that fighting should stay in the NHL. This is a rather shocking number considering the seemingly one-sided opinions being splattered all over the media lately. Due to recent events in various hockey leagues, advocates of fighting have been vilified even by those outside the hockey community.

The numbers revealed in this poll are surprisingly different than the ones you may have assumed from conversations with friends and co-workers. As a result, both sides may end up having to agree to disagree on the necessity of fighting in hockey. Attacking the integrity of hockey will not be a battle started merely due to a split opinion of the public at large.

However, when it comes to the final decision, just one man’s vote truly counts, and he has already sided with the majority.