OT: Jourdan Lewis commenting on fighting in hockey
January 8th, 2018 at 11:07 PM ^
I don't think this is accurate. A generation ago fighting was far more prevalent and every team had a legit enforcer. Not a guy who could play hockey a bit and fight effectively like Probert, Kocur, Domi or McSorley but legit badass tough guys. Hell, the 70s Flyers won a cup with that philosophy.
As a Canadian, and a guy who's played hockey and had some fights I would never want to see it taken out of the game. Sometimes a guy crosses the line and you have to go. The game polices itself. You see the counter to this in the more recent World Juniors where the game devolves to nothing more than cheap stick work, uncalled slashing and a bunch of shoving/cheap shots on every whistle. Sad.
January 8th, 2018 at 7:24 PM ^
Really bad take is really bad. I don't give a rat's ass about hockey, but I will defend it from stupid takes.
January 8th, 2018 at 8:01 PM ^
January 8th, 2018 at 9:25 PM ^
Thank
January 8th, 2018 at 7:24 PM ^
The whole sport of football is one big fight...
January 8th, 2018 at 8:26 PM ^
January 9th, 2018 at 1:27 PM ^
There's also a very strong disincentive to be the third man in on a 1-on-1 hockey fight, both in terms of penalties and a "you just don't do that" tradition amongst hockey players.
January 8th, 2018 at 7:25 PM ^
January 8th, 2018 at 8:02 PM ^
You can't dance, jump, or make love with sufficient vigor.
There, I said it...
January 8th, 2018 at 8:04 PM ^
January 8th, 2018 at 7:25 PM ^
January 8th, 2018 at 7:26 PM ^
January 8th, 2018 at 8:05 PM ^
...is why Jourdan Lewis believes that fighting has never been legal in boxing.
January 8th, 2018 at 7:26 PM ^
You said enforcers are essential to slowing the game down and preventing nasty injuries...
That might be the worst point ever.
First, why slow the game down?
Second, nasty injuries from/to enforcers happen all the time.
My opinion is to eliminate fighting. This will get more quality players and less goons. Clearing up roster spots and making an almost olympic level of speed and creativity on the ice.
I find people getting excited about fighting in hockey ridiculous.
This is my favorite sport in the world and still play to this day. The time has come for a change.
January 8th, 2018 at 7:28 PM ^
January 8th, 2018 at 7:31 PM ^
January 8th, 2018 at 7:35 PM ^
January 8th, 2018 at 7:44 PM ^
If you look at the % of enforcers that are worse off in the brain because of their role compared to other members of a team, I'm sure you're correct. But I think the person you replied to was just saying that the majority of bad head injuries come from non-fighting incidents, like open ice collisions or big hits into the boards. And without the enforcers in the sport, isn't it logical to believe that those more dangerous hits would increase significantly?
January 8th, 2018 at 7:40 PM ^
Less than 5% of concussions in the NHL are due to fighting. You're really arguing to make hockey safer, yet the first thing you say is "why slow the game down?"? The speed of the game is causing the major injuries, not fighting. Equipment innovations are allowing players to go so much faster causing much bigger collisions. I'm not advocating for slowing the game down at all, but one thing enforcers do offer is hindrance to players purposefully taking out the stars.
January 9th, 2018 at 1:53 AM ^
Everyone in the league including the players want to keep fights in the game dude. Guys who fight are mainly there to protect guys like Crosby, Stamkos, Matthews, ect. Your quality players wont be protected. Literally Every disagrees with you and if the players want it why take it away? Its about the players not you
January 9th, 2018 at 7:09 AM ^
...maybe they could officiate games in a way that protects the skilled players, thus eliminating the need for players to enforce against cheap shots themselves by fighting.
January 9th, 2018 at 8:31 AM ^
Officiating won't make a difference. You'll always have your Claude Lemieux's and Anaheim Ducks whose sole purpose is to cheap shot and fuck with your best players. A few penalties won't stop that.
January 9th, 2018 at 8:58 AM ^
explain all of the other hickey leagues around the world. They do not tolerate fighting the way the NHL does.
Please explain why fighting is not tolerated on other U.S. pro team sport leagues.
If fighting can be motly eliminated from other hockey leagues and from other U.S. pro leagues, it can be eliminted from the NHL, right?
They have reducced it. But they really have not taken steps to eliminate from the NHL. If they really wanted to, they could do it.
January 8th, 2018 at 7:28 PM ^
January 8th, 2018 at 7:33 PM ^
January 8th, 2018 at 7:36 PM ^
but this is a bad take
January 8th, 2018 at 11:40 PM ^
Not really, clearly shown by the number of people in this very thread who agree with it.
January 9th, 2018 at 1:55 AM ^
How can you be so far in the negative points?
January 8th, 2018 at 7:37 PM ^
I don't think an undersized corner is the right person to deliver this message.
January 8th, 2018 at 7:39 PM ^
He's not wrong.
January 8th, 2018 at 7:58 PM ^
January 8th, 2018 at 9:13 PM ^
January 8th, 2018 at 9:36 PM ^
January 9th, 2018 at 7:14 AM ^
Jordan's point has nothing to do with whether fighting exists in a given team sport.
His point is about how society perceives the phenomenon of fighting in different team sports.
Does he have a point? Debatable. But you should debate his point, and not some other point that he isn't even talking about.
January 9th, 2018 at 8:50 AM ^
Todd Bertuzzi was called a lot worse things than "thug" but that wouldnt fit your narrative. Or it is possible that hockey gets so little coverage that you have no idea the shit he got.
January 8th, 2018 at 11:40 PM ^
He really doesn't though. You just don't agree...which is fine.
January 8th, 2018 at 8:38 PM ^
Explain the popularity and acceptance of racially diverse sports like UFC/MMA and boxing then please.
January 8th, 2018 at 11:39 PM ^
Terrible example...the point of those examples is literally, to fight.
Your response makes no sense whatsoever.
That would be like me saying, they don't call traveling in basketball?!! Well....what about soccer?!!!
January 8th, 2018 at 8:39 PM ^
twitchy finger
January 8th, 2018 at 7:41 PM ^
January 8th, 2018 at 9:59 PM ^
January 8th, 2018 at 7:43 PM ^
January 8th, 2018 at 9:10 PM ^
with elbow pads and what not inhibiting your swing takes some of the power out of a punch, something to consider. News flash, hockey and football are different sports. Different athletes, gameplay, and rules.
You see, hitting (checking) in hockey is OPTIONAL to stop players. In football, hitting is NECESSARY to stop the ball-carriers progress. You didn't need to check Gretzky into the boards, yeah you could legally do it, but with a retaliatory body check or a fight hanging over your head, you had better think twice.
Of course then there are dirty hits, and when that happens in football, you DO often see players protect their own - that is when fights usually occur, with discipline handed out by the league (same thing happens in the NHL with post-dirty hit brawls with penalties/fines/suspensions).
January 8th, 2018 at 9:21 PM ^
Need more Gordy Howes. They come with their own build in enforcer.
January 8th, 2018 at 7:43 PM ^
January 8th, 2018 at 7:53 PM ^
You must've missed the wings game last night (though they were pretty minor fights).