Kip Answers Your Questions

Eli writes: Hey, Kip, why do fights commonly break out in hockey but not any other sports? and Maclen writes: I attended a Philadelphia Flyers game and got to see a fight. My parents said I had witnessed something that doesn’t happen often. Do you think that fights should be a part of hockey?

Hey Eli and Maclen,

I hope you don’t mind my answering your questions at the same time. It would seem you two disagree about how commonplace fights are. But before we have to send you off for five minutes each: I think you’re both right. Hockey fights are frequent relative to other sports, but they don’t happen as often as they used to. So what’s the deal?

To answer Eli’s question first: Fighting in hockey has existed longer than the NHL. The sport has nonstop battles. So it makes sense that all that hitting, bumping, and shoving occasionally spills over into frustrated fisticuffs.

Of course, just because something has always existed doesn’t mean we should tolerate it forever (like Buzz Beamer as this magazine’s mascot). Fighting has changed over time. In 1974–75, one tough Flyer named Dave Schultz would serve 472 penalty minutes. These days, even the toughest tough guys struggle to hit 150.

What happened? Fighting became an arms race. Teams grabbed goons to protect their star players. Other teams got bigger guys to fight those guys. Pretty soon, the only people brave enough to fight these enforcers were other enforcers.

Eventually, teams realized that these tough customers weren’t always the best possible options for their roster. Now, players generally don’t make teams as dedicated enforcers.

I’ll admit to enjoying the occasional fight. But to paraphrase that most legendary of coaches, Yoda: Fights not make one great. Hockey is an excellent game, maybe even without punching. It doesn’t need gimmicks. They don’t tolerate fighting in international hockey. They probably shouldn’t in the NHL, either.