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If I wanted to watch figure skating, I'd watch the Olympics. If I wanted to watch grown men cheapshot each other without any physical retaliation or standing up for one's teammates, I'd watch football.

The thing is, nobody is being forced to fight. Guys that fight know the potential consequences. Something like 98% of NHLers feel fighting has a place in the game. The thing that i could see happening is some type of rule being implemented where the player's helmets have to stay on during the fight or some s***. Once the helmet comes off, the refs step in. I don't really see any reason to try and regulate fighting in the NHL, because there is no clear tie between fighting and the deaths of Rick Rypien, Derek Boogaard, and Wade Belak. It was documented before Rypien's death that he had psychological issues. Boogaard had drug problems. A 5 minute penalty is fine for a fight.

If fighting is banned I and im sure others will never watch another NHL game in my life, not because the game isnt interesting and entertaining still, but because I love the sport of hockey, the way it has been for over 100 years, and I will do it as sort of a boycott. This is the game ive bled, cried, and sat in hospital beds for, and I wouldnt change it for anything. People often question my take on hockey because I want it rough and tough like it should be, but it should be known my brother broke his neck playing hockey, and he nor i would change it for the world.

I don't mind the NHL revisiting the place fighting has in the sport. However, I don't like the PC flag/touch-hockey like s*** they're allowing it to be turned into, bogging it down with bulls*** rules like the NFL has aimed excessively at protection, and society's strange way of trying to pacify a largely violent sport with non-violence. If the NHL does go this route, well, looks like I'll have to find some other way to enjoy hockey, as hockey does exist outside of this league. As it is, I pretty much entirely ditched watching the NFL for these very reasons.

I wonder if fans around the league feel like people on this forum do? I mean, the Wings never fight and are dead last in fighting majors every year. I can see how fans here are influenced by our team's mentality. If we had more fighters, there probably wouldn't be so many anti-fighting posters here. It's doubtful this talk about how fighting is useless and should be banned occurs as frequently on other hockey forums around the league. Just my opinion, though. No, the game would be better without guys like Jarkko Ruutu and Matt Cooke.

Please no Amway Arena

Wow. Thats pretty over the top. Especially considering other players got less for similar hits this preseason AND it wasn't a targeted head shot and Ben Smith was just as at fault as Brendan Smith for trying that fancy toe drag at the last second.

No I didn't. Doesn't matter what the thread is about you will post something about Hudler being mistreated or whatever. I don't think anyone even said Hudler on any post in this thread until you did.

The following would only make too much sense: Vancouver LA Phoenix SJ Anaheim ------------- Edmonton Calgary Colorado Winnipeg Dallas -------------- Minnesota Chicago Nashville St. Louis Columbus ------------- Detroit Toronto Montreal Ottawa Buffalo -------------- Philly NJ Boston NYR NYI -------------- Pittsburgh Washington Carolina Tampa Florida I'd like to see a better map in terms of proximity than this

http://detnews.com/article/20110930/SPORTS0104/109300378/1128/rss16 Arena? Eastern Conference move? A couple other little items, but these two sound very promising!

why? five minutes is a fine amount of time. tossing for a game is pointless. some fights deserve to happen and they only do if both guys want to go.

They still have fighting...

I honestly don't know what I would do if the NHL got rid of fighting. It has it's place in the game and is needed. Things would get a lot worse if players didn't have to worry about dropping the gloves, and there would be a lot more chespshots and bad hits... While were at it why don't they start using a ball instead of a puck, it's a lot safer for players and goalies a like, and without fighting, might as well go mandatory full cage.

To me Nashville shouldnt even be part of the discussion. Theyre in the central time zone and should play against as many teams as possible in their time zone. It has to be between Detroit and Columbus and I have been crying for the Wings to switch Conferences for about 20 years now.

When did Shanahan not produce? When has Bert not produced? And when have the Wings played musical chairs with their players via trades and waivers? Do you think this would be a good idea? Why do you think the organization doesn't do it? Do you notice that the team never signs players who are lazy or have bad attitudes? Why do you think this is? Umm no. $4m was fair market value at the time, given that the salary cap was roughly $42m. Shanahan took the exact same salary contract from the Rangers. He left because he felt that he identified more with the older generation of Red Wings than with the new.

Completely different situations. We were coming back from a lockout and had to get under the cap a couple season later. Shanny balked at the Wings 3mil offer and went with the Rangers at 4 Million, taking up 10% of the team's cap hit. Wings got out just in time, because Shanny went from 82 points with the Wings to 62, 46, and then finally 14. Plus we had Datsyuk and Zetterberg breaking out as stars, we didn't need Shanahan. With Bertuzzi we know we're getting 40-45 points from him and he is taking up a shade under 2mil of cap. On top of that, we have no one to replace him and his production. Mursak won't, Emmerton won't, and Brunnstrom is a wait and see thus far. Bertuzzi is going no where.

Ben didn't headbutt his shoulder. Brendan threw a high risk hit and missed, only clipping the head. Now he's getting punished for it. Here's the way it should be done. compared to the wrong way. Vladdy takes a better angle and is coming in low for the hip check. He's got his body lined up properly with Lemieux's, so even when Turtle tries to avoid the hit, Konstantinov makes solid contact with him. Brendan came east west and was going to miss, so he threw a shoulder, which has an extremely high chance of clipping a guy in the head. Ben Smith didn't have his head extraordinarily low. It was where most guy's would be when they're carrying the puck. I think the suspension is too long, but this was not Ben Smith's fault because of a toe drag move or having his head too low.

I predict 50 games overall for Perry and 30 for Getzlaf. Just beacause they pley THAT type of hockey. Half of the Bruins roster will be suspended soon and only Cooke will continue to do what he wants...

You know it's harsh when even Mike Milbury was sticking up for Smith.

Rule #1: Bettman lies. Ain't happening, no matter what Illitch says.

Who in the hell negs the OP of a GDT?

You don't get it. Just like your polar opposite, both of you bring him up in these absurd extremes and bring him up in topics or subjects that have absolutely nothing to do with him over and over and over again. 9 times out of 10, we know what is coming from both of your keystrokes, and when it's annoying in either extreme positive or negative, people are going to neg you. Both of you are grown men that should know damned well that he is neither as bad or as good as either of you underhype or overhype him respectively, yet you two still keep on doing it over and over and over again. I have little doubt that yall aren't trying to purposefully piss people off, but it is still incredibly numbing and annoying. Most times I want to strangle both of you, figuratively speaking of course, when I read your responses. Nobody here says he is the greatest thing since sliced bread or an all-star like you perceive, and conversely most people don't think he is as bad as a dumptruck (when he isn't in a dry spell or whatever) like eva unit zero perceives. The only two people with these absurd extremes are you two. Not the LGW community, you two and you two alone. The majority of people will likely give him fair kudos if he is playing well, or dog him accordingly and fairly if he struggles (like much of the beginning of last season for instance). Nothing more or less. And making a big deal out of being negged is annoying as well, worrying about ego or how you look on here to people you probably will never see in life. Let it be, people don't have to explain themselves to you or why they plus or minus you. You want to keep disliking somebody, doesn't bother me, that's totally your business and your choice and I respect that and won't be able to change that, I'm not trying to. Not trying to change eva unit zero's supporting of Hudler either. But keep beating a dead horse in this type of fashion and in places that have nothing to do with him, you are going to get a good bit of negatives and bashlashes more often than not. Now as for Brunnstrom, I think at worst he secured himself a minor league contract here, definitely improved his chances lately to make the Wings and with some recent injuries to other probables. Would love to have him in the system.

Nothing yet about the Leaue getting more competent officials, both on-ice and off-ice? Pity.

No. It has gotten old. And Toronto, Montreal and Pittsburgh will do just fine as rivals.