Fighting in the NHL exists in a gray area. For as many critics who wish to rid the sport of it and feel it adds nothing, there are just as many who argue to keep it, noting the importance fighting can play in what is a physical and aggressive sport.
Commissioner Gary Bettman has often downplayed fighting, describing it in a published report last year as a “small part of the game,” and adding that a vast majority of players don’t have a problem with its existence.
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Brandon Prust (right) of the Montreal Canadiens wrote in support of fighting, saying it’s an integral part of the game.
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For example, Montreal Canadians forward and noted enforcer Brandon Prust, who currently ranks third among all NHL players in fights this season, recently wrote in The Players’ Tribune that fighting keeps the league safer by limiting the number of cheap shots in open play, because, he wrote, if fighting were banned, “there’s no real consequence for guys taking runs at each other.”
But as the NHL now faces concussion litigation from a group of former players, how does the league properly balance the existence of fighting with its efforts toward improving safety?
The NHL, which declined to comment for this article, has taken significant strides toward improving player safety in recent years. It established a player safety room in New York where Department of Player Safety staff members review questionable hits and actions on game nights. Suspensions and fines are handed down in a way that provides transparency into decisions and further educates and informs players on what is acceptable and what is not.
While the debate around fighting shows no sign of going away in the near term, actual fighting is seemingly being phased out as teams move away from traditional enforcers, those team members who are often seen as lumbering players lacking offensive talent. Instead, teams are looking for more speed and skill throughout their lineups.
This season, there have been 0.33 fights per game, down from a rate of 0.56 in the 2000-01 season and the lowest recorded figure over that time period, according to Hockeyfights.com. Additionally, fights have occurred in just over 28 percent of games this season, down from 38 percent in 2000-01 and also the lowest percentage over that time period.
