Posts About "Fighting"
Jets Ink Peluso; What Is His Role?
June 17th, 2015 Today the Winnipeg Jets took the first step to rebuilding their depleted group of forwards by re-signing tough guy Anthony Peluso. The deal is for two years and worth an average annual value $675 000. Peluso becomes the eighth Jets forward from last season to be under contract for next year. It is certain the Jets will add some other...
The Diminishing Role of the Enforcer
February 18th, 2015 The role of the NHL enforcer is one which has come under scrutiny in the past several years. When the Toronto Maple Leafs began the season without an enforcer after cutting Colton Orr and Frazer McLaren, many began to sense the start of a transition away from tough guys in the league. The move also made people question the role of...
Fighting: What is it Good For Absolutely Nothing
January 2nd, 2015 Oh the old debate about fighting. Enforcers install fear into your opponents, but having more skilled all-around players on all four lines makes you a much more talented team. The debate is endless and what doesn’t seem to help the cause for either side of the coin this season is that the fighting numbers don’t really seem to favour...
Hockey 101: Fighting
November 6th, 2014 This post is part of our series – Hockey 101 Ahh fighting. To the uninitiated and rookie fans of the NHL, fighting is the most exciting part of hockey. However, the effects of fighting are becoming more and more clear and public opinion has turned against the physical combat on ice. But there is more to understand about...
Fighting: End of an Era
October 8th, 2014 Data used from HockeyFights.com and Hockey-Reference.com There were 469 fights during the 2014 regular season. From a historical perspective the NHL saw 0.38 fights per game last season which is tied for the lowest league wide average since 1965. The NHL has not seen such low rates of fighting since the Original Six Era. You'll...
The NHL's Bizarre Infatuation With Fighting
September 2nd, 2014 In 2011, the hockey world was stunned by three deaths. Wade Belak, 35, hanged himself in his hotel room. Rick Rypien, 27, committed suicide in his home. And Derek Boogaard, 28, died from a lethal mixture of painkillers and alcohol. All three were NHL enforcers who liked to drop their gloves, and all three ultimately lost their struggles...
Will the NHL Ever Be Big in the US?
August 1st, 2014 A couple of nights ago, I had the opportunity to watch high profile soccer clubs, Manchester United and Inter Milan, play at Fedex Field in Washington D.C. As the United States begins to welcome the notion of soccer being a big time sport, obstacles still arise. Entertainment is the key to sports, but what I saw between...
The Character Assassination of Brooks Orpik
December 9th, 2013 “Boston’s Thornton chasing down Pittsburgh’s Orpik, a noted instigator who wouldn’t fight this time, and after Orpik had fallen to the ice, pummelling him with two solid punches. Just revolting. Orpik was immobilized and taken off the ice on a stretcher.” – SI’s Peter King in MMQB After Brooks Orpik, now playing in his...
How To Counter The Enforcer Epidemic
October 9th, 2013 Jay Rosehill isn't an all-star point scorer; he isn't a defensive stalwart of a forward; he isn't gamechanger; he's just an enforcer whose sole purpose is to fight - and to a lesser extent, take dumb penalties. For a player who has a total of 88 career NHL games, six total points (three goals and three assists), and 264 penalty...
I Love Fighting in Hockey, but the NHL Needs to Ban It
September 25th, 2013 I'm an old-school hockey purist. I love hard fought battles along the boards. I love tough players who lay thunderous body checks and sell out to block shots. I even love to see a spirited bout between two willing combatants, going blow for blow. However, fighting needs to be taken out of the NHL. Stifling the Game's Growth While...
Will The NFL Settlement Impact The NHL?
September 3rd, 2013 The sporting world was abuzz late last week, as news broke of a settlement involving the National Football League and 4,500 former NFL players. The settlement stems from a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court regarding head injuries suffered by these players during their NFL careers. Under the terms of the settlement, the NFL doesn't...
The NHL Shootout and Other Potential Changes
March 20th, 2013 Hockey has been in my blood for over three decades. I started playing at age six and watched the New York Islanders on WHT television with my dad after the Uncle Floyd show. My first game was a tense affair between the Islanders and cross town rival New York Rangers at Nassau Coliseum. I was fortunate enough to be present at the...
Fighting in Hockey - A Fan's Struggle
March 11th, 2013 Twenty-six seconds into a game between Ottawa and Toronto, a hockey fight occurred (warning, this video may disturb some viewers). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7k1S2juFDw I've been watching hockey for close to 40 years. Growing up, players like Terry O'Reilly and Hammer Schultz were as well known as Guy Lafleur and Marcel...
