HP

I think that there is still a place for fighting in hockey. I think its a necessary evil that really helps the game calm down. Emotions build up, players get angry, and the game gets more and more physical until all of that energy builds up and a fight between two players breaks out. Typically after a fight, that pent up emotion subsides and players go back to playing their regular game. Overall it ends up being safer in the long run and we end up with fewer injuries than if the game continued at too high of an emotional level. We've seen players have short and long term injuries due to someone else that is just too caught up in the game itself. As much as I would like to see fighting eliminated and hockey be even more of a skill game than an enforcer game, I don't think were really at the point where fighting is detrimental to the game itself.