There is a lot of speculation about whether or not fighting in hockey should continue to be allowed or if it should be banned from the game and punished highly. Personally I have always believed that fighting is a large part of hockey. In a game where it is already quite easy to sideline another players career by even just a perfectly clean body check players need to know that there are players there that will make you pay for that big hit. Hockey is a game of passion but not as many fights start by players who are just upset and want to attack someone. Most fights end with the players making sure the other guy is alright and them laughing about it. Also it is huge to the ratings and the fan base. It can also just be for the fans enjoyment or for fun for the players. And If they want to do it they should be able to. Especially if there are referees there to make sure it stays safe. If someone starts losing to a large extent it is over. The referees will break it up immediately.
I believe there are several reasons for fighting in hockey. A main one is to protect your star players. If there was no fighting in hockey there would virtually be no stars left. Wouldn’t you take out the best player if you could do it legally in the game with no repercussions? It would certainly make winning the game much easier. With the average speed of a professional hockey player being roughly 20 mph with speed skaters reaching above 30 mph it is not hard to run into somebody with your shoulder hard enough to put them out of an entire season, let alone the rest of their career if they are simply looking down for the puck. If your head is down looking for the puck while a pass is coming your way and you are just traveling an easy 15 mph and someone comes in at speed, especially a larger player, it isn’t hard to hurt someone seriously. You will think twice about it if someone can and will come in there and beat you up for it.
I understand