Designated fighter fading
Baseball’s designated hitter is an institution, and hockey’s designated fighter is becoming an endangered species.
“The designated fighter can’t get on the ice,” said Craig Button, a former NHL general manager who now serves as an NHL Network analyst.
The Pittsburgh Penguins had a 60% reduction in fighting during the first half of the season. The San Jose Sharks are down 57%. Two-thirds of NHL teams are fighting less than they did last season.
“The times when something might erupt seem few and far between,” Phoenix Coyotes general manager Don Maloney said.
Phoenix’s popular heavyweight, Paul Bissonnette, had eight fights at last season’s halfway point and one by Monday’s midpoint. He did open the second half Tuesday night with a fight against the New York Rangers’ Mike Rupp.
“He has still played hard,” Maloney said. “But it’s the lack of takers. Paul is not going out there and grab (Detroit Red Wings star) Pavel Datsyuk.”
Two years ago, NHL general managers discussed fighting’s place in the game and decided nothing needed to be done. The drop has been a natural evolution, although Button thinks quicker faceoffs have helped keep the peace.
“There is not a lot of lingering around,” Button said. “There is less time for tempers to flare.”
The Maple Leafs signed Colton Orr to a three-year, $3 million contract to be their tough guy last year and then waived him this season because the game is changing.
“The days of the two- or three-minute player are over,” Maloney said. “They are a dying breed.”
The tougher players who are still thriving are those who contribute in other ways, such as the Boston Bruins’ Shawn Thornton or Rangers’ Brandon Prust. The latter had 13 goals last season and has 11 fights this season.
“We are trying to find him some ice time here to try to get him going more, also within the five-on-five play,” Rangers coach John Tortorella said of Prust. “He’s a glue guy, and people pull for him.”
St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said the reduction in fighting hadn’t made the game less tough. “I think the game is as physical as it has been in the past,” he said.
The Blues are fighting less mostly because Cam Janssens left through free agency. “But I’ve never felt that the Blues weren’t ready to stand their ground,” Armstrong said.
There is no organized effort around the NHL to change fighting rules, even though the game appears to be moving away from fighting.
“You are almost in playoff mode by Nov. 1 now, and you are playing players who can play a multidimensional role,” Armstrong said. “Maybe the single-dimension players used to be moving out of the lineup by March 1, and now it’s earlier.”
The importance of fighting to the outcome of NHL games has long been debated. A Canadian company, Powerscout Hockey, has done statistical research that shows fighting doesn’t really have an impact on winning. It analyzed 1,563 NHL fights between October 2009 and Dec. 21, 2011.
Most hockey people think a fight changes momentum of a game, and Powerscout CEO Mark Appleby said research showed that it does after 75% of all fights. But the boost is shortlived.
“(And) you can’t predict which way it’s going to happen,” Appleby said. “And it doesn’t increase goal scoring significantly.”
nhl.usatoday.com: How top 2010-11 fighters are faring