TheRealPedro

Personally I plan on blaming nearly every loss on Samuelsson.

The growth of MMA in the past few decades and the widespread intereest in watching guys like Mayweather fight suggests that combat sports are doing fine in N. America. I don't think there is anything inevitable about fighting being banned in hockey. I'm in the middle on this issue. Fights are an entertaining part of the sport and growing up they've seemed integral to the game of hockey. However, plenty of tempers flair in other sports, such as basketball, and although fighting is heavily penalized, cheap shots don't seem more prevalent than in the NHL. I like the suggestion that if players want it banned they work with the NHLPA to get it done.

Er, as minor point here, boxing gloves and MMA gloves don't reduce brain trauma or damage to the head. In fact, they likely increase it. Gloves protect a fighter's hands, and let them punch much, much harder. I've never understood why hockey players drop their gloves to fight, other than that they may simply be too unwieldy to be useful in a fight.