Hockey fights
 

Are fights in hockey similar to wrestling in that they're fake? Is there some kind of an unwritten rule in hockey fights that you don't hurt someone seriously? I've only attended a couple of games and they're fun to watch, but every time a fight breaks out, I see so many openings where a player could smash the other guy directly in the kisser, but all they throw are these big round house wrestling punches. :shrug: I have no doubt they could kick my ass, but if I got in a street fight and fought against someone that punched like that, he'd be done in about 2 seconds.

I think that most hockey fights involve a lot of grabbing the jersey. If you are getting held at the shoulder or elbow it is kind of hard to throw a good punch. That is not to say that all fights are soft. I have heard lots of stories of broken faces.

You haven't seen some of the good and down right bloody fights. I think it might have something to do with the restrictive equipment.

OK.... a couple things here.....

First, if you ever equate hockey to wraslin again I'll fucking stab you in the face..... or at least threaten it again... :# the fights are very real...

Second, there is an unwritten rule in hockey that the fight will be allowed until somebody falls down. Once somebody falls, it's over and the refs break it up. This could be why it seemed odd or staged.

Third, try to imagine for a moment, engaging in a street fight in which you and your opponent are both wearing rollerskates. It's not gonna look pretty, and you might fall on your ass before you connect with the other dude's chin....

I can see how the padding can get in the way of a good punch. I've seen lots of body checking that's brutal, but the fights always seem controlled.

ROFL I will never equate hockey and wraslin' again. I didn't know about the falling down rule, that's interesting.

http://hockeyfighters.com/Forum_Files/Photos/llama.jpg

http://dev-it-07.tripod.com/sitebuil...iwavsbrown.jpg

http://dev-it-07.tripod.com/sitebuil...psonvswitt.jpg

WOW, he's gonna feel that in the morning.

Sad thing about hockey is it's real and it's still boring as ****

Yeah, how dare him equate rasslin' with hockey. They are nothing alike. Hockey is much closer to soccer.

I will cut 2" off your cane old man.... :cuss:

I'm not a Hockey fan I admit. But the idea that the fighting was fake has been on my mind lately. It would make it even worse if it was fake and boring.

Scoring has increased this year, since they made changes to increase offense. Some people do find it boring though.....

I wish I liked it. I've tried to like. I certainly respect the difficulty of the game.

.

heh

The league has been seriously trying to remove fighting from hockey, ever since that dumbass Disney movie came out there have been parents complaining that it's not a "clean family sport".

If you want to see some good fights, just google Bob Probert fight video. That man was a legend.

Check out Proby with an awesome series of uppercuts...

http://www.brickfist.com/1.Hockey_Fi...uchberger.html

This clip will show the problems with fighting in hockey (jersey's, skates, etc.)

SITE CONTAINS ADS THAT ARE NSFW
http://www.muchosucko.com/video-bobp...ymcsorley.html

Here's the video of the picture posted above...

http://www.brickfist.com/1.Hockey_Fi...s_Sourray.html

Nice face plant in the ice to end the fight...

http://www.brickfist.com/1.Hockey_Fi...s_McCarty.html

If you get a chane, check out the Avs / Wings bloodbath. I have a VHS of the fight(s), and I'm sure you can find video clips on the web.

Here's a pretty grainy and short clip of the Avs/Wings stuff. I never tire of seeing Shanny clothesline Roy though!

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...596736&pl=true

Nice pictures......:D

This link has some seriously NSFW ads on the page.

Just a heads up.

Didn't notice, will update original post. Thanks for the heads up.

I was gonna say something, but then saul would call me a bitch..ROFL anyway, thanks for telling him..

If you get called a bitch I doubt it is for this kind of thing. I'm sure this warning is an appreciated gesture.

It's OK, I wouldn't have listened to you anyway!

;)

:rolleyes:

exactly

This is a hockey fight:

http://www.break.com/index/russiacanadafight.html

lol like wrestling??
your options are limited when ur on ice and padded up. there are understood rules to fighting in hockey.

:rolleyes:
yeah, real boring.

Other than the fight stopping when they fall down, what other "understood" rules are there in hockey fights?

One on one.
Goalies only fight goalies, or just stay the **** out of it.

www.hockeyfights.com

Oh okay, that makes sense.

Put on a football uniform, with extra leg pads, then some ice skates and then try to land a punch while somone is grabbing your jersey while trying not to be hit youself and see how pretty you can make it look.

Yes their real. ROFL

I'm sure there are more, but I can't think of them. They are trying to take a lot of the fighting out of hockey, which is a shame.
The fights are just a way players police themselves, much like beaning batters in baseball.

I saw that live (live on TV anyway)...awsome!!! McCarthy and Lemuixe (sp?) were kicking the piss out of one another. McCarthy was awsome.

Most of the people trying to take fighting out of the game couldn't tell you the difference between icing and the center line. Lack of understanding how the game works makes it look like senseless violence.

It's really simple: don't watch it if you don't like it.

Yes... and a good hockey fight can sometimes change the momentum of the game for a team....

I'm all for taking fighting out of hockey. When the puck isn't in play it's boring. Can you imagine NFL players fighting like they do in hockey (with the exception of someone kicking TO's a$$)? Takes away from game IMO.

Lemieux wasn't doing shit but trying to hide in his pads... fuggin cheap-shottin' turtle.
McCarty kicked his ass.

Anything is boring when nothing is going on.
But are you really trying to say that fighting adds to boredom?

I suppose they aren't boring, but they are not entertaining in the sense that I'm watching to see hockey. I want to see hockey skills on display, not boxing or street fighting.

There are obviously legimate reasons for fights to break out in most any contact sport, but to go at because someone got the better of you in the corner isn't one of them.

The fighting is at least part of why nobody takes Hockey seriously and it's getting ratings that made the brief XFL look good.

For the record, you hardly ever see a fight break out for that reason. They are mostly as retaliation for a cheap shot, or as a tool to invigorate the team.
As far as watching to see hockey... that is where the leaders of the league are trying to take it. They are trying, in order to gain a more mainstream crowd, to cut down on the fights, and moke the game more of a fluid, less grinding game, with higher scoring.
I hate to see that. I can recall a series or two the Wings won recently, simply because they worked in the corners and against the boards better than the other teams. And a good fight always makes things more exciting for me. but if the rule changes they've implemented mean more fans, and more popularity for the sport, I can tolerate some "popping" up of the game.

If you truly watch hockey for the game, and want to see no fights, you are in luck. The playoffs start this weekend, and there is RARELY a fight during the playoffs.

It may be a part, but I don't believe it's a huge part, but a very small one.
I think the main reason it's hard to get into for a lot of people is because it's not a game you can easily click to in the middle, and know exactly what has happened. Baseball and Football are easy like that. You can switch the game on at any time, and very quickly know what has happened. They are split into small, choppy segments, and you can catch an inning here and there, and it's easier to process that way. Even basketball, though it has a flowing type of game, has scores on almost every possesion. You can watch it just casually and pick out the hot team, and make a decision on how the game has gone. Games like hockey are harder because of the flow of the game. You can watch for an hour and never see a goal. Teams ebba nd flow, even during individual periods, so a team can look horrible, but that tells no story of the game. I think this is the main fact that keeps hockey from joining the main 3 sports. Like it or not, we live in a short-attention span world, and hockey does not cater to that, especially on TV.
To be honest, 15 years ago, when I was learning the game, I really had to force myself to watch a whole game. It would be on ESPN on a Friday night, and I'd switch on in the middle and quickly lose interest. But once I watched a whole game, saw the flow and the talent and the energy, I was hooked. I think that's how it is for most people. You get hooked either by watching it live, or by forcing yourself to watch an entire game. It's a drwback, and I wish there was a way to change it so everyone could appreciate it the way I do (or millions of others who are FAR more knowledgeable about it) but I doubt it will ever reach the level of the big 3 because of this.

Taking fights out of hockey seems kinda like taking wrecks out of auto racing.

I can see that happening.

I like dirt track racing and for the most part don't like to see wrecks. What I like to see is three wide sliding sideways through the turns.

I totally agree that corner play can decide a game. Digging out a puck, out positioning the other guy, plain old hustle - those are a big part of hockey and I'd hate to see them leave the game.

I'm really looking forward to the playoffs. Out here in central Kansas we don't get much hockey on TV until the playoffs start.

I used to love going to Monet for the dirt track races. Larry Phillips was the man to beat (this was the early 1970's). I liked a wreck once a night, but that was enough. It slowed down the action when you spent all night with the yellow flag.

Exactly......PBJ

you only have to wait 2 more days, and then it's drop the gloves time..:D

http://www.nhlfa.com/fanreport/2006/

Interesting results here. If you look down to #27, it says that 88% of fans don't want to see fighting eliminated.
The problem with this, is that they are trying to bring in new fans. Of course the people who are fans already love the game the way it is. I'll stick with my opinion that the fighting is a great part of the game. But I understand it needs to be taken away to gain some fringe or non-fans.