Hockey Fights

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Saw my first hockey game today and was surprised how fast paced and just violent it was.  Not just players slamming into each other, but outright brawls and boxing that is apparently acceptable and within the rules.  The stadium even started blasting heavy metal music during one of the punching matches with the crowd cheering them on.  

I asked my buddy why they do that when it didn't seem to advance the actual game play. His response was "if they didn't fight, people would think they are pussies."   So it seems all the fighting is for entertainment purposes only.

 

Any NHL fans want to elaborate.  It was all so strange.

 

 

Damn near WWF on ice!

we used to go to the new haven nighthawks when i was a kid

they don't say that "i went to a fight and a hockey game broke out" line for nothing!

 

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whawha

today's NHL is a far cry fom the fighting in the 70s -80s Teams like the Flyers were built on thuggery...

There is no room on the bench for the former  "enforcer" in today's NHL and if he has that role he's probably a skilled hockey player.

 were you entertained?

 

 

The NHL has always been insane. While the NFL now puts the guy in the blue tent when he gets

hit in the head, they watch these guys literally bare-knuckle box each other, sometimes to the point 

of blood and teeth coming out, and they each get a five minute penalty.

   Terry O'Rilley of the Bruins going over the glass, into the crowd to fight a fan who hit his teammate 

at Madison Square Garden in '79 is a highlight of the craziness of the NHL in the '70's.

 

 

Tonya Harding approves of this thread 

There is very little fighting in the NHL today. When it does occur it's between two guys who know what they're doing. .

 Even the hard checking is way down. The game is faster and more skilled than ever.  If you were at a  AHL game 

there can be some fights as guys try to earn a rep. If you were at a Kraken game they are one of the tightest checking teams in the league.

 

Starring Hollywood legend Paul Newman, still running regularly on cable...1977's Slapshot

In the fictional small town of Charlestown, Pennsylvania, the local steel mill is about to close permanently and lay off 10,000 workers, indirectly threatening the existence of the town's minor league hockey team, the Charlestown Chiefs, who are also struggling with a losing season and an increasingly hostile crowd. After discovering the hometown fans responding positively to an on-ice brawl with the opposing goalie, player-coach Reggie Dunlop goads his own team into a violent style of play, eventually letting the overly-aggressive Hanson Brothers, the club's recent acquisitions, loose on their opponents. The brothers' actively violent and thuggish style of play excites the fans, which increases revenue, potentially saving the team.

>>>>>>Hanson Brothers

Love the Hanson Bros.   Need to rewatch that movie.  A classic  

A great game that does not translate to TV very well. Not so many fights in NHL but the precision passing, and fast play is great to watch. Head on collisions at 25 mph, and these guys rarely miss time due to injury, or rest (F-you NBA) Go Lightning!
 

AHL hockey was great when my son was young. Would take him into the bar in the arena after the games to get autographs from players. Players from both teams would be in there tossing some back, even guys who just fought on the ice. 

Greatest sports movie ever 

>>>Greatest sports movie ever <<<

Slapshot and North Dallas 40 , also made in '79, are two of the greatest sport movies 

As for fighting in Hockey, in the 70's when i skated as a pre-teen and teen, it wasnt discouraged at the junior lever either....

Yes these punches land, but being on skates instead of solid ground limits the effect a little. Or so I'm told. A lot less fighting now. 

Most NHL teams will have an enforcer for when some dinkhead tries to take out their star, like when goons went after a non-fighter like Gretzky. Or little guys like LaFontaine or Crosby.

Hitchiking cross country years ago and got a ride with a minor-leaguer headed to Tulsa to play for the Tulsa Oilers. I assumed he was a fighter cause that dude was scarred up.