Quote:
Originally Posted by pr_capone
I can't speak to the encouragement aspect of it but I completely understand why it is part of the game. The "goons" are out there to protect the offensive stars of the team. Having an enforcer on the team discourages overly aggressive actions towards those star players as the goon will retaliate in defense of his players. Especially the goalie.
If the players didn't regulate themselves... there would likely be several rule changes in the game, decreasing how physically the game is played, put in place in order to protect those star players. Exactly what the NFL has done.
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The flip side to that is there's no fighting in college hockey (which can be pretty physical) or internationally (where there's not as much hitting, partly due to the bigger ice surface).
It does have a purpose in the NHL, like you said, and unlike other leagues, it's simply become part of the game so it won't be going away any time soon. I wouldn't go as far as saying it's encouraged though. For the most part, the rules around fighting are pretty strictly enforced, and if anything, the pure fighter/goon type of player is a dying breed, since they're more of a liability these days and since the NHL has been cracking down (well, trying to) on illegal/dangerous hits.