Though I disagree with most of it, it’s well-written.

I don’t believe I’ve ever heard of anyone wanting to bring back the red line. If they do, they’re clinically insane.

On your points:

#1: I’m gonna leave this one alone. Some love it, some hate it. There doesn’t seem to be any middle ground, and thus no reason to discuss it in this forum.

#2: I disagree. I think that Bertuzzi should have been gone (I still can’t believe he wasn’t blacklisted by GM’s), but I just don’t think that’s feasible or fair. There are so many gray areas of “illegal hits” that it would be impossible to enforce.

Also, making an illegal hit does not constitute an “intent to injure”. Those are two terms that are considered to be interchangeable by many people, but they’re not. An “intent to injure” hit is certainly illegal, but the opposite isn’t necessarily true.

#3: I agree. Not only is it better to watch goalies be able to take the screws off, it would help eliminate some of the “sitting duck” type hits by keeping the play flowing away from the boards.

#4: Again, I agree.

#5: Eh, I don’t really think so. Visors to protect the eyes I can see, but not full face shields. It probably will happen someday, but I don’t really see that they’re needed below the eyes. The most vulnerable part below the eyes is the throat, and full face shields do little to protect that.

I think that baseball is a better comparison than football, and they don’t wear shields. It may even be more dangerous. In the long history of the NHL, there have been very, very few eye injuries. Sure, there is a threat, but they rarely happen.

although my opinions may differ.

1. As far as goon on goon and “message sending” at the end of a game, yes, that needs to go. Its pointless, time wasting, and in my mind, is no better than the thuggery shown by NBA teams. (ie Pistons-Pacers or Nuggets-Knicks) Other than that, standing up for your guy (goalies especially) is where I’m ok with deterrent fights.

2. It’s a good thought, but I’m with wtnelson. As far as enforcement, I don’t think that’s enforceable. Bert got lucky. I really think as the lockout took center stage, the incident kind of got swept under the rug. In short, the lockout saved his ass. Once the league can figure out what constitutes a suspendable offense, then go from there with the repeat offender stuff and it should work out fine.

3. I’m afraid, being a goalie throughout my pee-wee and bantam years, that I write this with some bias. Basically, if the originators of hockey didn’t want goalies to be able to puckhandle and make plays, they wouldn’t have let them have a stick…..

4. This is one of those cosmetic things that could go either way. To each his own. There are more pressing issues for the game right now, so I’m not too worried about this.

5. No. Players should be allowed to wear whatever kind of shield/visor they want. Cuts and bruises happen all the time. If a player doesn’t like it, he can wear a full shield/cage, wouldn’t bother me a bit. I’m a wimp, I would do it.

1. You kidding me? You are correct in saying that fighting is not hockey, but fighting is a part of hockey and always has been. The Wings and Avs rivalry is not nearly as storied or exciting without fighting. Fighting elicits passion and emotion for both the fans and players, not to mention the entertainment value. I agree that the “goon” a la Koci, is a detriment to the game, but a stand-up guy like Lappy, let him fight.

2. Meh. I agree with the first two posters on this one

3. Do it!

4. Yes Please. Especially in the case of the Avs. Avalanches are white, show it off at home with the whites. Bring back the original jagged mountain trim jerseys too please. I know everybody enjoys home cooking, but the unipron sucks harder than a !

5. Put the players in Storm Trooper style suits which will offer loads of protection. This eliminates point number 2 because injuries simply will not occur. As for point number 1, let them fight. My vision of this is rock em sock em robots.

I swear I’m the only person who likes seeing Home Colors more than home whites. :/

No one in the bleachers gets up and cheers during a fight. Might as well get rid of it.

Oh, wait.

Fighting is the bonus sport – hockey + boxing night!

1. I think fighting is a part of hockey, in so much as it helps with momentum.
I can’t count how many times I’ve seen a team starts out flat, a teammate wins a fight, and the flat team gain huge momentum and come back to win.
 
2. I agree with Hopfen, it’s difficult to rule a hit ‘intent to injure’. Things like Bertuzzi’s incident are obvious, but I think most don’t mean to injure the player.
 
3. Agreed.
 
4. I mentioned above, but I prefer the dark home jerseys.
 
5. Helmets were one thing, they are a huge necessity, and needed to be enforced when they were first introduced.
But a face-shield isn’t. I like that it’s up to the player’s discretion.

I’m new to MHH. This is my first fanpost. I didn’t expect everyone to agree, particularly on fighting. I usually go grab a beer during the fights, but maybe that’s just me.

Good article!

I agree with points 3 and 4 with reasoning discussed above.

Rule 1 has some logic to it, but protecting the more fragile skaters is as much a part of the game as scoring. I do agree that fighting in the last 5 minutes and before/after the whistle should be cracked down on harder.

If Rule 2 would be instated, most hockey arguments would boil down to:

“It WAS a hit with intent to injure”
“No, it wasn’t!”
….
…
Godwin’s Law.

Your Rule 5 is pretty protective towards players, but it’s more for the KHL

In Soviet Russia, Helmet choose you!

#1…Fighting, I love it and I love that the players are allowed to police themselves on the ice. I think it does make players think twice about their actions because they may have to face a guy on the ice rather than a guy in a suit slapping him on the wrist and taking money from his wallet. Fights still occur in football, basketball, and baseball even though it’s not “allowed”. Fines and suspensions have not removed some of the cheap hits/fouls in those sports. Most people who complain about fighting in Hockey (at least in my experience) just don’t understand it. They think it’s legal and not penalized. Explain the difference between “allowed” and “legal” and some change their stance a little.

#2…Hard to determine a players intent. There are very rare occasions, like the Bertuzzi-Moore situation, where you can say his intent was to hurt the other player. A few cases like the Pronger skate stomp, the Tootoo skate stomp, Domi’s lumberjack, those are pretty clear, most hits are not.
…A hit to the head should have a set penalty. It should not matter who the players involved are (star player, 4th liner), or whether the recipient is injured or not. It should be clear and concise…1st offense – fine, 2nd offense 3 game ban & fine, 3rd offense – 6 game ban & fine, 4th offense 12 game ban and fine….

#3…Don’t care either way, but I hate when a goalie leaves the net, see the puck is out of the trapezoid and tries not to play it, but still gets a penalty because it hits him. A change I would make is that the goalie has to actually play the puck (touch it with his stick, or kick at it with a skate, etc…) in order to receive the penalty.

#4…Honestly don’t care either way. I would probably vote more towards home whites only because most sports do the same. But I do like the ability to have a third jersey, just please stop changing them so often. And Reebok Jersey’s suck!

#5…Don’t like players being forced to wear anything. Helmets and certain padding is alright, but a shield or a cage should be optional at the Professional level. In football they have rules at H.S. and college levels about the types of pads and how players snap the chin strap on the helmet (two straps each side and snapped) in the NFL it either isn’t a rule or it isn’t enforced because you see those guys’ helmets popping off all the time. It’s their choice if the want to risk those kinds of injuries.

I’m enjoying the responses about my “no fighting” proposal. But they all raise a question in my mind. If the enforcers are such an important part of hockey, why are they usually sitting in the stands during the playoffs? Yes, there are occasional fights in the playoffs, but it’s usually between the tough guys who can use a stick for something other than a prop to keep them upright on the ice. During the most important games, the goons are MIA.

To compare fighting in other sports to the NHL doesn’t really ring true to me. Yes, there are fights in the NFL, NBA, and MLB, but there are also fights in line at the Post Office this time of year. You don’t see the NFL line up a couple of goons across from each other and at the snap of the ball, they tear off their helmets and go at it. That’s the most idiotic part of hockey, and if they could get rid of the staged goon fight, I could be happy with the occasional scrap between two guys who are genuinely pissed at each other.