The NBA who!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Egg Salad]

Now if we could just get rid of the NHL also!

Wouldn't be a bad league if they'd actually play hockey and not also sanction fighting as part of it.

Makes a joke of a great sport IMHO.

You're kidding right? I think I've seen more fights in Football (college and pro) this year than I have in hockey recently. Hockey probably handles fights (which are going to happen in any agressive competition) better than any sport there is. Got a problem, the two with an issue go for it until one has a major advantage...then break it up and sit both down for a penalty. Way better than pretending you are going to stop fights by instituting stupid judgement penalties for a guy pointing his finger at an opponent as he scores a touchdown.

No, not joking. Completely stupid for a referee to just stand there as guys punch each other. I'm not watching UFC( which I'm a fan of). Going to be bit of a smarta$$ here, but I'm under the impression that refs. are there to enforce the rules of the sport

I'd like to see hockey played. A good physical game of hockey is great, check'em into the boards all night long. How hard physical play has degenerated into fistfights is beyond be. I further say, that it's one of the reason hockey isn't a bigger sport than it is.

Some excessive celebration penalties can be a little much, such as your finger pointing example. At little too PC for me.

There are fights in a little over a third of games in the NHL, so I wouldn't say it's a major issue. Also, I wouldn't jump in there if I was a ref. If someone is throwing some wild haymakers, I'm not going to step in front of one. I think the system works pretty well as is. Two guys take care of business then they're sent away for a little while. It makes more sense than beanball wars in baseball where they're throwing at each other because of all of these unwritten rules. (The reason these rules are unwritten? Because they are stupid.)

Why let them fight at all? That it's sanctioned at all is my point. Hockey is the only "big" sport that sanctions fighting as part of the contest. In the other "big sports" players get thrown out for fighting. Yet it's legitimized in hockey. Stupid.

Just throw them out of the game and that will solve the problem. If a "message" needs to be sent, there's plenty of opportunity to check someone on the boards. I love watching Olympic hockey for that reason(fighting not allowed), I get to watch a hockey game, with hockey skills on display. Sanctioned fighting is amateurish and diminishes the game.

How does it diminish the game? And you get to see the same amount of hockey, with or without fights. I like watching NCAA and international hockey as much as the NHL, and I've never thought that fighting in the NHL makes it any less watchable than anything I've seen internationally.

How does it not diminish the game, when you're not playing by the rules? You can get "payback" or "settle a score" within the rules. Why not do that? Throw hard checks all night long I say.

Would you like to see fights in football, baseball, and basketball and not see players thrown out? If so, I'd say we see sports quite differently.

You didn't really answer my question, for starters. Also, people don't play by the rules in every sport. This is why there are penalties. Do you get this upset about false start penalties in football? Do those diminish the game as well? Or pass interference? Should flagrant fouls in basketball be grounds for ejection?

If you read my previous post, you would see that I said I watch hockey regardless of fights or not. I don't advocate for fighting in hockey or any other sport. I would be ok with ejections for them. Or maybe a system where if you get in X amount of fights, you get suspended a game. I would guess that the vast majority of people who watch hockey don't do so because of the fights. Like I said before, a little over one-third of games have a fight. People aren't going to commit 2.5 hours in front of the TV or a bunch of money on tickets for something that statistically is not likely to happen. One of my favorite tournaments is the World Juniors in late December/early January every year. I wish that tourney and the World Championships in late spring were taken more seriously and given their due. But when I'm watching I don't think "This would be great if there were fights" Same with NHL. I know I don't speak for everyone, but I don't think, "I would enjoy this game better if the guys never dropped their gloves."

I think the threat of enforcers, whether right or wrong, is preventative in a long season that the NHL has. Probably less so in international tournaments where you probably are going to see a team only once. And in those tournaments you usually have a smaller roster, so you can't afford to lose a player, or give up a skilled position for a guy that isn't going to get much ice time.

There are good arguments for both sides of the argument. Fighting is what it is in hockey. Like I said, an automatic ejection would be fine with me. But I just don't buy that it diminishes the game. The NHL's ratings are pretty good for being on a channel that a lot of people don't realize they have. And they just signed a monster TV contract extension. The state of the game is pretty good right now, and I don't think the subtraction of fighting would change any of that in any significant way.

[MashTun]

Seriously eggsalad, I'm not the one with huge, long responses on this topic. If there is one of us that would appear to be "upset" it isn't me.

I don't watch NHL because they fight. You don't have to agree with me. I think it diminishes the sport because, to me, it's amateurish. I also think it would be a more popular sport if fighting wasn't allowed. Again you don't have to agree. Maybe my opinion is in the minority, I don't know and don't care. Obviously those who still watch NHL hockey(yourself and others) aren't bugged by it too much. I don't put it in the same wheel house as a PI or hard foul in hoops. Fighting crosses the line for me.

If they fight they should be thrown out, not mix it up, and sent to the penalty box(slap on the wrist). I"d rather see the game of hockey played. If the NHL threw players out for fighting I'd watch. End of story.

[Egg Salad]

You said it makes a joke of the sport. I disagreed. I even said if fighting were to result in being thrown out, that would be fine. This is as message board full of opinions, and to be honest I think our opinions aren't really that far off. Really the only difference is that you don't watch NHL as a result of fighting, and I haven't stopped watching because of the fights. Obviously we both enjoy the game and it looks like there is pretty much just one thing we don't agree on. We can agree to disagree.

I'm often in the minority when I say the playoffs are too long. Different strokes, etc.

[TIrwin24]

I only watch hockey for the potential of a fight. Otherwise, it's a pretty boring sport.

[MashTun]

I only watch hockey for the potential of a fight. Otherwise, it's a pretty boring sport.

wow. a cool sport without the fighting. Boring sport on TV=golf.

[TIrwin24]

I only watch hockey for the potential of a fight. Otherwise, it's a pretty boring sport.

wow. a cool sport without the fighting. Boring sport on TV=golf.

To each his own.

I thoroughly enjoy watching golf on TV. But then again, I play golf and love playing the game.

[ilovethecats]

I only watch hockey for the potential of a fight. Otherwise, it's a pretty boring sport.

wow. a cool sport without the fighting. Boring sport on TV=golf.

To each his own.

I thoroughly enjoy watching golf on TV. But then again, I play golf and love playing the game.

me too. but we're few and far between. but i regularly watch golf tournies on sundays start to finish. those dudes are GOOD!!!!

[MashTun]

I only watch hockey for the potential of a fight. Otherwise, it's a pretty boring sport.

wow. a cool sport without the fighting. Boring sport on TV=golf.

To each his own.

I thoroughly enjoy watching golf on TV. But then again, I play golf and love playing the game.

me too. but we're few and far between. but i regularly watch golf tournies on sundays start to finish. those dudes are GOOD!!!!

You guys are nuts A whole sunday tourney? I'd almost rather watch "The Hills" on mtv....no...no...golf for sure!

[ilovethecats]

ya and then some for me. love when i don't work on thursdays or fridays sometimes and i can watch the first couple rounds on the golf channel. i also watch big break all the time which is nothing more than golf reality tv!

love it.

[Egg Salad]

I watch golf every once in a while on the tube on a lazy Sunday. Usually if its a major or something big. There is a surprising amount of drama for a game that is so slow.