FIGHTING IN

HOCKEY

A PRESENTATION FOR SEA225

Presented by Mark Pettigrew

FIGHTING: It is an established tradition of the sport in North America, with a long history.

History:

Fighting more rare in early 20th century, but more brutal

1970’s Philadelphia Flyers “Broadstreet Bullies” popularized fighting in NHL

1977 – 3rd man in rule put in to prevent bench clearing brawls

1992 – Instigator rule put in: added 2 min minor penalty

Fighting peaked in the 1980’s at around 1 fight per game average

Last few years around .45 per game average

Rule 46: 46.1 Fighting – A fight shall be deemed to have occurred when at least one

player (or goalkeeper) punches or attempts to punch an opponent repeatedly or when two players wrestle in such a manner as to make it difficult for the Linesmen to intervene and separate the combatants. (major) 

46.2 Aggressor – The aggressor in an altercation shall be the player who continues to throw punches in an attempt to inflict punishment on his opponent who is in a defenseless position or who is an unwilling combatant. (major + game)

46.11 Instigator - An instigator of an altercation shall be a player who by his actions or demeanor demonstrates any/some of the following criteria: distance traveled; gloves off first; first punch thrown; menacing attitude or posture; verbal instigation or threats. (minor, major, 10 min misconduct)

Aggressor + Instigator (minor, major, 10 min misconduct, game) 

46.16 Third Man In - A game misconduct penalty, at the discretion of the Referee, shall be imposed on any player who is the first to intervene (third man in) in an altercation already in progress except when a match penalty is being imposed in the original altercation. This penalty is in addition to any other penalties incurred in the same incident.

Fighting is usually performed by one or more enforcers, or "goons"—players whose role it is to fight and intimidate—on a given team and is governed by a complex system of unwritten rules that players, coaches, officials, and the media refer to as "the Code"

What is “The Code”:

Dropping gloves, sticks and taking helmets off when starting a fight

Fighting only other enforcers or “goons”, not goal scorers

Not continuing to hit your opponent when he falls to the ice

Not backing off on a fight when you provoke it

 Different perspectives from hockey celebrities:NHL Commissioner Gary

Bettman: "I think sometimes (the George Parros or Colton Orr concussion, and Ray Emery goalie fight) inciden(ces), as rare as it might be, tends to get focused on disproportionately”

Hall of Famer Bobby Orr: "It's a different world today. Things are changing. That new fan we're trying to attract, they don't want violence. … [But] that fear of getting beat up is a great deterrent."

Former Leaf’s GM Brian Burke: "The fact of the matter is I think this game is safer with fighting in it. The amount of fighting in the game has been reduced dramatically, and that's a good thing. It's not going to go up, but I think it's a central part of player safety."

San Jose Sharks GM Doug Wilson: "When the fighting doesn't exist, it's a very physical game and there are times when you have to step up and let the other team know that nobody's going to take liberties with your best players.I don't see fighting going away."

Anaheim Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau: “…hockey culture needs that. If Sidney Crosby takes a dirty hit, a Penguins teammate is likely to take action. Even if it's illegal, fighting may be the way to settle the score.”

Don Cherry opinions:

http://goo.gl/Wnk49D

http://goo.gl/XTTyHw

Pros:

Protects the respect to star players, keeps them healthy: Gretzky and Semenko, McSorley

Keeps other team in check – opposing team will back off, easing the tension

Reduces injuries from stick work and cheap elbow and head shots

Creates sense of solidarity among teammates

Enforcers mostly isolate the fighting between themselves

Fighting hardly exists during the playoffs when it matters most

Cons:

Concussions can lead to retirement, and worst of all brain damage

Deaths from head hitting ice in minor league incidences

Teaches violence to youth

Fighting the worst in exhibition play

Why is it relevant to YOU?

Marketing repercussions: remove fighting – sells less jerseys – Tie Domi, Dave Schultz

Wendel Clark & Cam Neely: jerseys sell well because their names are marketable to both audiences

NHL14 videogame now has more realistic fights than ever: player in penalty box with black eye.

Brand image: missing teeth, black eye

What is my opinion?

Rule 46 fails to protect the star players

Get rid of “3rd man-in” rule and “Instigator” rule

Make harsher penalties to aggressors, but not to enforcers who both choose to fight

Why do I feel this way?

The NHL averaged twice as many fights during Gretzky's prime with the Edmonton Oilers than it did during the 1970s. (Wikipedia) Gretzky shone during this period with protection BEFORE the instigator rule!

Fighting has reduced in last 30 years not because of changes to Rule 46, but because:

1. there’s more $$ at stake with NHL.

2. because players are more skilled and competitive today than in the past

3. because team strategy systems are in place more today than in the past

Equipment safety is a bigger problem = concussions: differences then and now

Re-introduce softer elbow and shoulder pads to reduce concussions

Biggest learning takeaway from this topic:

Crowds at games come for many different reasons

Fighting is one of the many positive elements of the game: in addition to toughness, there’s star players, skill, speed, music, video screens etc.

Like a newspaper: has many different sections to appeal to different targets

Remove fighting and you remove a key weapon out of your arsenal

What should YOU takeaway from this?:Other sports having violence causing

injury: UFC, WWE, boxing, football, rugby, lacrosse

Other “non-contact” sports with roughness: basketball, baseball

Other sports causing death: skiing, rodeos, car racing

Understand both sides to the issue. Don’t judge before you know the facts.

Marketing NHL in the U.S. is challenging because of the youth lifestyle and climate, not fighting.

How could it affect your future careers?

Know the facts if you’re marketing NHL: there are pros and cons to the issue, but it is a necessary element of the game.

Focus on the new strategies marketing NHL: game/event itself, not the stars: i.e. Winter Classic

Positive marketing trends in NHL

Winter classic expansions

Rogers 5.2 billion 12-year deal for “Hockey night in Canada” from CBC after 61 years

NBC 2 billion 10-year deal in U.S.

NHL revealed, 24/7 documentaries

References: http://www.nhl.com/ice/page.htm?id=26336  http://goo.gl/kS2BtM  http://goo.gl/lwLloN  http://goo.gl/HHluBZ  http://www.hockeyfights.com/stats/  http://goo.gl/kXXau5 http://goo.gl/oraXYX  http://goo.gl/2xtlev http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lC-BRpvpT-g http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkr1yHOpoeg  http://goo.gl/AtVqcz Jeff Hicks interview: former Kitchener Rangers OHL

writer for “The Record” newspaper