Hockey Prompt

This is always going to be a heart/head debate for me. I grew up following two teams who relied heavily on grit and fight. It started with Mark Deazeley and Derek Booth at the rough and tumble Toledo Sports Arena, one of the least family-friendly hockey atmospheres I can imagine, where you would watch the coach tip a guy for the sole purpose of going to throw some punches. And of course I was there for the Wings-Avalanche Fight Night, memories of which will never fade. You always love to see teammates stand up for each other and the physical part of hockey is incredibly important. But I do believe that fighting needs to be reduced as much as possible, and the league is already better with the reduction of enforcer-type players who serve limited purpose. I think the league is a pretty decent place with fighting right now: it doesn't happen too often, it rarely results in injuries, and more types of players are willing to engage in it because it's become more symbolic than physically punishing. I think there can be a place for the current format of dropping the gloves to do a little headlock, you both take a penalty, message is sent. If anything, I think rules could be tightened just to further discourage punching the head.