GM's want to give 10 minute misconduct penalty for fighting

[Frozen-Man 144]

Didn't see this yet but thought I'd post it. Seems like a pretty crappy idea to me:

10 Minute Misconduct for fighting?

NHL general managers think some fighting in their league needs to be eliminated or at least reduced.

They're recommending a rule change that would give a 10-minute misconduct penalty to players who fight immediately after a faceoff. The 10-minute misconduct could also be applied to any other fight a referee believes was staged.

The GMs also recommended limiting fighting in response to a clean hit, by calling the instigator penalty more aggressively. The league has seen an increase in violent reactions to clean hits.

...

"I don't like those fights. I don't understand them," said Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke, former GM of the rough-and-tumble Anaheim Ducks and a longtime proponent of fighting. "Start calling the instigator penalties, and we'll get rid of some of this nonsense."

[55fan 5,133]

Evil. Just evil.

If they want to make it "safer", let the big boys do their job and break up hug-fests.

How many GMs are former players? They should know better.

[seeinred 1,488]

I disagree with the staged fight penalty. One big reason to fight is to give your team some momentum, and I don't see anything wrong with doing it right off a faceoff. But I actually agree with Burke (and I feel dirty about it) about the retaliation for clean hits. That's got to stop.

[StevieY9802 6]

While I'm not really liking the idea. I can see the argument.

[Drake_Marcus 890]

Didn't see this yet but thought I'd post it. Seems like a pretty crappy idea to me:

10 Minute Misconduct for fighting?

NHL general managers think some fighting in their league needs to be eliminated or at least reduced.

They're recommending a rule change that would give a 10-minute misconduct penalty to players who fight immediately after a faceoff. The 10-minute misconduct could also be applied to any other fight a referee believes was staged.

The GMs also recommended limiting fighting in response to a clean hit, by calling the instigator penalty more aggressively. The league has seen an increase in violent reactions to clean hits.

...

"I don't like those fights. I don't understand them," said Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke, former GM of the rough-and-tumble Anaheim Ducks and a longtime proponent of fighting. "Start calling the instigator penalties, and we'll get rid of some of this nonsense."

Burke's right. The fights right at the drop of the puck are stupid and serve no real purpose. If they're going to sacrifice some aspect of fighting to appease the baying idiots calling for the end of fighting then get rid of the pre-arranged BS fights off the face-off.

[dat's sick 1,002]

Makes sense to me. Well, atleast the instigator bit.

[Drake_Marcus 890]

Just wanted to add one extra thing- I disagree that they should give the refs the power to apply this penalty to fights they deem staged. Giving refs the power to hand out more discretionary penalties isn't going to help the poor state of reffing consistency in the game today.

[Wombat 26]

Choreographed fights are stupid. I don't mind this potential new rule one bit. I don't think they should change anything about fighting that comes during the course of play though.

[Electrophile 3,554]

Eliminating fighting altogether would destroy what little entertainment value the game has to people who aren't already die-hard fans. We watch the Wings because of the little things, the same as people watch their team for the little things. For people who don't have a team, the physicality is what draws them in. Getting rid of it would be getting rid of their reason to watch and it would just sink the sport even further down.

I agree that fighting after face-offs should be curbed, but fighting shouldn't be eliminated in toto.

[Frozen-Man 144]

I disagree with the staged fight penalty. One big reason to fight is to give your team some momentum, and I don't see anything wrong with doing it right off a faceoff. But I actually agree with Burke (and I feel dirty about it) about the retaliation for clean hits. That's got to stop.

I agree in principal with the retaliation to clean hits, I think it's crap to fight a guy just because he gets a good legal hit on someone, but it just seems to me like one of those rules that will be really hard to enforce and will be have so much discretion that it will be hard to ever apply evenly. There are lots of hits that are borderline between clean and dirty. For example, Lapperriere's hit on Lidstrom last year, a lot of people think it was a clean hit and even Lids said it wasn't dirty but he did get his elbow up a little at the end and probably should have gotten 2 minutes. Can a guy fight Lappy for that hit or is that retaliation for a clean hit. I just think it will be hard to determine and may result in more penalties being called for hits that aren't dirty but are just hard hits.

[lets go pavel 2]

I assume a "clean hit" would be one that isn't penalized? So no fighting unless a penalty is called ... except that then there's a stoppage, and a faceoff ... so no fighting then either. So I guess they just fight later ... except, of course, that probably makes it staged. Doesn't sound like there's gonna be a whole lot of fighting going on ...

[Frozen-Man 144]

Burke's right. The fights right at the drop of the puck are stupid and serve no real purpose. If they're going to sacrifice some aspect of fighting to appease the baying idiots calling for the end of fighting then get rid of the pre-arranged BS fights off the face-off.

Yeah I like those fights but I see what you are saying. I just worry that it is another step toward when they will want to fully ban fighting.

[Frozen-Man 144]

I assume a "clean hit" would be one that isn't penalized? So no fighting unless a penalty is called ... except that then there's a stoppage, and a faceoff ... so no fighting then either. So I guess they just fight later ... except, of course, that probably makes it staged. Doesn't sound like there's gonna be a whole lot of fighting going on ...

Exactly, it seems too convoluted, and will only lead to problems. Does a guy have to wait after a hit to see if a penalty is going to be called before he can jump in and challenge a guy? That's going to look stupid (and never going to work) having a guy just stand there for a few seconds to see if a penalty is called and then if it is he fights if not just skates away. OK in theory but hard to implement and like Drake Marcus said will do nothing to help with the inconsistent reffing.

[Datsyerberger 279]

The ones off the faceoffs really are circus sideshow stuff despite how even I enjoy watching them. They aren't really that necessary.

I find myself agreeing with Burke (barf) about the fights after every big clean hit nowadays, those are irritating.

Scrum after a dirty hit or when opposing teams players are getting too up in their goalies grits? Rock on.

[ManLuv4Clears 7]

Eliminating fighting altogether would destroy what little entertainment value the game has to people who aren't already die-hard fans. We watch the Wings because of the little things, the same as people watch their team for the little things. For people who don't have a team, the physicality is what draws them in. Getting rid of it would be getting rid of their reason to watch and it would just sink the sport even further down.

I agree that fighting after face-offs should be curbed, but fighting shouldn't be eliminated in toto.

+1 I like that you can look at the situation without blinders on when there are people on these boards that think every fan out there likes the game for the same reasons as themselves. I don't think people understand the number of fans the NHL would lose if it were to eliminate fighting. A majority if not all of this select group would be in the US where the NHL gets most of its revenue.

Edited March 10, 2009 by ManLuv4Clears

[Hockeytown_Ryan 122]

If a couple guys wanna throw down and duke it out like men....so be it.

I think there are just as many fights in the NBA as there are in the NHL , And what I mean by that is this,

Not fight for fight.....But the rise of fights inthe NBA and MLB are not getting as much attention as the fights

in the NHL... Fighting was always apart of Hockey.

Baseball - A pitcher plunks a batter, the next inning, Payback. the benches get warned and the game goes on..

Yeah right.....Now the the Bullpens clear and there more punches thrown than pitches that game....

Basketball - a hard foul and the guys go into bazerrk-O mode

I am not defending fighting in the NHL - But If two guys want to go a round with eachother...Have at it

I think it's unfair to target just the NHL... is my point

Edited March 10, 2009 by Hockeytown_Ryan

[esteef 2,679]

These rules suck, it's baby steps toward trying to ban fighting completely.

...and what about guys that fight DURING the faceoff? Sid?

esteef

[sureWhyNot 19]

Ha ha, makes me thing back to AA Bantam hockey, and the rules surrounding fighting. Cute without a doubt -- but please -- this is the NHL.

[T-Ruff 47]

Who cares... Its just some extra time in the box that these guys like Boogard and Laraque would otherwise be sitting on the bench for.... If they really want to fight this won't stop them, and if they really want to avoid the 10 min game misconduct, they'll skate around for a bit and give each other some taps before dropping the gloves, making it look "non-staged".

[Echolalia 2,961]

Wait a minute, I just saw an article on nhl.com talking about how all the nhl GM's wanted to keep fighting an integral part of the game?

[GMRwings1983 8,804]

I was hoping these dumbf**ks would work on eliminating the instigator rule, instead they came up with this crap.

I can picture how these meetings go. Hey here's an idea. Let's eliminate the few fans of our game that we still have left. Then nobody in America will like hockey.

These GM's are living in their own dream world, and they're only going to piss off more hockey fans.

[55fan 5,133]

Wait a minute, I just saw an article on nhl.com talking about how all the nhl GM's wanted to keep fighting an integral part of the game?

The GMs need to say that in order to appease hard-core hockey fans, purists, and fight fans.

Then they need to say that they're looking to curb fighting so that the game is not so dangerous in order to appease soccer moms, sensitive people, and politically correct people (none of whom actually watch hockey, but like to comment on it).

They have to make sure they get the right quotes out so that the right people are appeased.

In short, they need to grow a pair (or 30 pairs) and stop being bloody politicians.

[Zetterling 16]

The GMs need to say that in order to appease hard-core hockey fans, purists, and fight fans.

Then they need to say that they're looking to curb fighting so that the game is not so dangerous in order to appease soccer moms, sensitive people, and politically correct people (none of whom actually watch hockey, but like to comment on it).

They have to make sure they get the right quotes out so that the right people are appeased.

In short, they need to grow a pair (or 30 pairs) and stop being bloody politicians.

hahaha

Yeah, sometimes you gotta fight. Concussions eff you up though. So I don't have an opinion.

[sureWhyNot 19]

hahaha

Yeah, sometimes you gotta fight. Concussions eff you up though. So I don't have an opinion.

Ya well unfortunately concussions are a small risk of being a NHL player. Same as numerous risks that accompany ones choice to become a fireman, policeman, bounty hunter, prison guard, zoologist, etc.

Only difference is that in the NHL you are probably going to be making millions, where as other professions with risks (other then the NBA, MLB, NFL, etc.) you ain't making close to that.

Life just sucks I suppose.

[akustyk 84]

so, Burke has too few real men in his new team and starts a campaign against fighting, right?

wonder what was his take when he was with Disney Ducks... ?

I'm for staged fights and against instigator. what I want to be out of the game is head hunting,

including cases of specific "player physics" (yes, I mean this dirty bastard Pronger).

this should result in automatic suspension of multiple games, and repeated offenders should

be banned from the league.

it's OK with me when big boys want to face each other and share some hacks. they know

their role and understand the risks. on the other hand I'm completely agains chickens who attack

unexpecting opponent (read: Tootoo's or Sindy's) or who target vulnerable body parts.

make it 4 minutes for high-sticking, make it 4 for fighting unaware player (sure, there's huge

gray zone here, but which penalty rule has none?) and make it 4 for kneeling. this is what's

most dangerous in this game.

but stay the f* out of fighting. there's place for it in hockey. don't make it some soccer or handball

where players do a lot of dirty job undercover. leave the fighting aspect of the game transparent.

I've watched enough soccer in my life to see how removing fights from the game results in drastic

growth of dirty and brutal plays when refs are not watching. plese keep the hockey away from this!

Edited March 10, 2009 by akustyk