For decades, hockey fights have been scrutinized, particularly for safety concerns. It’s a valid point: are they worth long-term injury, or potentially even worse?
Related: NHL Should Start the Process of Outlawing Fighting
But that’s not the angle I’m going here. Hockey fights aren’t just dangerous—they’re a total waste of time.
Staged Fights Aren’t Really Hockey—And Kind of Boring
A decent chunk of hockey fights I see nowadays are staged. Meaning, two players agree to a joust at some point before or during the game—usually because they’re both heavyweights. If you’re a fan of fights, you love this aspect of the game. But a 20-second staged (that word is important) boxing match isn’t really hockey.
The term “fun” is subjective, but as someone who actually enjoys boxing, hockey fights don’t do it for me anymore. Since they’re so quick and tiring, you’ll be lucky to see one “good” punch landed, even between the best in the business.
If you’re familiar with the Savannah Bananas and “Banana Ball,” that’s kind of what these fights are like. They’re on ice, wearing skates. I enjoyed hockey fights when I was a kid, but the sport of boxing is an incomparable product. It’s a true test of wills. These staged brawls feel gimmicky and boring to me.
Heat-of-the-Moment Fights Serve No Purpose
Some fans agree that staged fights distract from the game, but most agree that heat-of-the-moment fights are essential to the sport. If your teammate receives a dirty hit, defending their honor is a must. I found myself in this group for a while, but then I realized that these retaliatory scraps do nothing.
Let’s look at Tom Wilson, who has been on the receiving end of these since 2013–14. He’s a genuinely good NHL player, putting up 33 goals and 32 assists last season, but he’s been throwing dangerous hits for over a decade.
If retaliation fights are meant to teach a player a lesson, they certainly aren’t working. Wilson had another incident as recently as Oct. 19, 2025, sending Vancouver Canucks forward Filip Chytil to injured reserve.
The point isn’t that Wilson is “dirty.” It’s that he’s been doing the same thing since New York Islanders top-pairing defenseman Matthew Schaefer was six years old. No amount of retaliation fights will make the 31-year-old forward stop, and that goes for any player.
In the past, it’s been argued that these fights are necessary to prevent cheapshots. But that seems silly to me. Athletes in every other sport can swallow their pride and control their anger fine, even when a teammate is injured. Hockey players can do the same (and besides, they cheapshot anyway).
Fighters Take Lineup Spots Away
My last point is actually the inspiration for this piece. Fighters, some who would otherwise be playing in the ECHL, are taking NHL lineup spots from better, younger hockey players.
Nikita Grebenkin, a 22-year-old rookie forward who has done nothing but impress for the Philadelphia Flyers, is in a constant battle for action with Nicolas Deslauriers.
Across 94 games since 2023–24, Deslauriers has averaged just 7:57 of ice time each night. He’s playing to fight, and that’s about it. Despite the Flyers being in a rebuild, Grebenkin, a skilled and gritty forward vying for a chance, has had to watch from the press box.
The same goes for the rebuilding San Jose Sharks. Although Ryan Reaves is a winger and Michael Misa is a center, the No. 2 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft was watching Reaves fight from the press box for some time, too. Young, superior talent is sitting in favor of enforcers.
Fights were once something that made the NHL unique from other professional sports leagues. But now, they’re limiting the game’s potential. Hockey fights are a waste of time, distracting from what makes hockey truly great.
