Fighting in ice hockey

[8] Those who defend fighting in hockey say that it helps deter other types of rough play, allows teams to protect their star players, and creates a sense of solidarity among teammates.

[9] Despite its potentially negative consequences, such as heavier enforcers (or "heavyweights") knocking each other out, administrators at the professional level have no plans to eliminate fighting from the game, as most players consider it essential.

[1] There are a number of theories behind the integration of fighting into the game; the most common is that the relative lack of rules in the early history of hockey encouraged physical intimidation and control.

[13] The implementation of some features, such as the blue lines in 1918, actually encouraged fighting due to the increased level of physical play.

[16][17] Although fighting was rarer from the 1920s through the 1960s,[18] it was often brutal in nature; author Ross Bernstein said of the game's early years that it "was probably more like rugby on skates than it was modern hockey.

[19] However, as the NHL's expansion in the late 1960s created more roster spots and spread star players more widely throughout the league, enforcers (who usually possess limited overall skill sets) became more common.

[18] That season, a bench-clearing brawl broke out at the end of the second period of a second-round playoff matchup between the Quebec Nordiques and the Montreal Canadiens.

The 2014–15 season had 0.32 fights per game, as teams placed a greater emphasis on skating ability and fewer young players became enforcers.

[7] In 2003, the ECHL added an ejection, fine, and suspension of an additional game for any player charged as an instigator of a fight during the final five minutes of the third period or any overtime.

In addition, an automatic game misconduct penalty is assessed to offending fighters if a fight occurs before, during, or shortly after a face-off.

Referee Moray Hanson sent both teams to their locker rooms and delayed the game for 45 minutes while tempers cooled and the officials sorted out the penalties.

[50][51][52] Russia's Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) had a bench-clearing brawl between Vityaz Chekhov and Avangard Omsk in 2010.

Thirty-three players and both teams' coaches were ejected, and a world record total of 707 penalty minutes were incurred during the game.

[53][54] The KHL imposed fines totaling 5.7 million rubles ($191,000), suspended seven players, and counted the game as a 5–0 defeat for both teams, with no points being awarded.

Some reasons are related to game play, such as retaliation, momentum-building, intimidation, deterrence, attempting to draw "reaction penalties", and protecting star players.

There are also some personal reasons such as retribution for past incidents, bad blood between players, and simple job security for enforcers.

[67] A North American study of 1975–1983 (the period of peak fighting) found that players used fist-fights to either "stick up for oneself" and save face from attempts at intimidation, or to act in self-defence from actual or perceived dirty tricks.

For example, putting the opposing team on a power play due to penalties incurred from fighting is less advisable when the game is close.

[71] For example, in the late 1950s, Gordie Howe helped establish himself as an enforcer by defeating Lou Fontinato, a notable tough guy who tallied over 1,200 penalty minutes in his career.

[80] Due to the farm systems that most professional hockey leagues use, enforcers who get a chance to play at the level above their current one (for example, an AHL player getting a chance to play in an NHL game) need to show other players, coaches, and fans that they are worthy of the enforcer role on the team.

[79] There are also times when players and even entire teams carry on personal rivalries that have little to do with individual games; fights frequently occur for no other reason.

Among the reasons they cite are that it is unsportsmanlike,[89] is a "knee-jerk" reaction that detracts from the skillful aspects of the game,[90] and that it is simply a waste of time.

This experience led him to organize an ongoing effort to ban fighting in the Ontario Hockey League, where the Knights compete, by attempting to gain the support of other school boards and by writing letters to OHL administrators.

[102] It is unknown whether Boogaard's death was mainly attributed from his repeated head trauma from fighting and hits or from a possible addiction to painkillers while simultaneously abusing alcohol.

[43] In 1992, the "Instigator" rule, which adds an additional two-minute minor penalty to the player who starts a fight,[41] was introduced.

There are several informal rules governing fighting in ice hockey that players rarely discuss but take quite seriously.

[112] On the other hand, it is bad etiquette to try to initiate a fight with an enforcer who is near the end of his shift, since the more rested player will have an obvious advantage.

Fairness is maintained by not wearing equipment that could injure the opposing fighter, such as face shields, gloves, or masks,[114] and not assaulting referees or linesmen.

[117] Other examples include Gordie Howe's tactic of holding the sweater of his opponent right around the armpit of his preferred punching arm so as to impede his movement.

Probert, of the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks, was known to allow his opponents to punch until they showed signs of tiring, at which time he would take over and usually dominate the fight.