User:Jesse Babcock/sandbox/Fighting In Ice Hockey

Fighting in Ice Hockey
Fighting in Ice Hockey is an established tradition of the sport in North America, with a long history that involves many levels of amateur and professional play and includes some notable individual fights.

The definition that is written above was copied and pasted from the head article regarding "Fighting in Ice Hockey". Nothing was edited by me but I placed the definition towards the beginning for the reader to have an understanding regarding my topic before I discuss what I would like to add to the article. The part of "Fighting in Ice Hockey" that I am looking to add to is the fact that fighting in ice hockey has seen a significant decrease in both the role of "enforcer" (players who's role is mainly to fight) and staged fighting (fights with no emotion involved) that the article seems to be outdated on. The article alludes that fighting in hockey is still staged with enforcers and it is hindering the sport. I will work to add a section regarding "Number of Fights in Ice Hockey Decreases", discuss the NHL's amount of fights reaching historically low numbers, and why fighting has seen a decrease using relevant sources.



NHL Fighting Hits All-Time Low
In today's NHL, fighting has reached historically low numbers. A life long fan of the Chicago Blackhawks remembers a time where, "There were often more fights in the stands than on the ice." During the 2006-2007 NHL season, 384 games, or 31.2% of games featured at least one fighting major. In 2018, the NHL experienced a total of under 20% of fights occurring during regular season games, the first time since the league began tracking such a stat in 2000. Former NHL player Daniel Carcillo, who amassed over 100 fighting majors in his playing career was quoted, "I believe this is the new normal, and I think the game is better off without fighting, no doubt." Crowds inevitably still give a loud cheer of approval, but in the new NHL, fighting is no longer the spectacle it once was.

Why Fighting in Ice Hockey has Decreased
As hockey has promoted speed and skill over fighting, goals are up and fights are down. In today's hockey, the fourth-line are cost-efficient skill players instead of goons, and staged fights are a rarity without those players on the rosters. Many teams do not want to waste a spot on their team for the role of an enforcer any longer. Former NHL player Matthew Barnaby reflects that the game no longer has room for players of that role, ""Roster space is precious today. Managers are seeing the value of having an effective bottom six." Lower leagues, such as the Ontario Hockey League have made rules such as three fights for one player and they will be suspended. The goal is to eliminate the "serial fighter, that one dimensional player." says Ontario Hockey League Vice President Ted Baker.

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