NHL Fighting: A Catch-22

On Tuesday, Montreal Canadiens enforcer George Parros got into a fight with Toronto Maple Leafs enforcer Colton Orr. An enforcer in hockey is a guy whose job is to get into fights. Well, these two enforcers did, but something happened.

It was basically a fluke accident, which you usually don't see in hockey fights, but is very much a risk. Parros slipped and crashed head-first into the ice. He was carried off the ice with a concussion.

There is a popular saying "I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out.”  Fighting is a major part of the appeal of hockey, aside from its emotional and physical intensity. But Parros's injury is starting to stir debate among fans and journalists about whether fighting has any place in hockey.

There are already a few heavyweights calling for less fighting in the game. Among those is Tampa Bay Lightning GM and former Detroit Red Wings great Steve Yzerman, who told The Dreger Report that players should get a game misconduct penalty for fighting. Also among these voices are Scotty Bowman, who is one of the greatest NHL coaches of all time, Ray Shero of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Jim Rutherford of the Carolina Hurricanes. Bowmen tweeted that players should be polled as to what to do about fighting.

Those players polled recently went 98 percent in favor of keeping fighting in the game. Since the players have to approve any bans, it's likely not going to be approved. “It’s part of the game. It always has [been], and I think it always will be,” said Ottawa Senators forward Chris Neil.

And of course, there's the fans. While a few fans might not like the idea of fighting being the main draw to hockey, many more casual fans are drawn to the fights and to have fighting banned from the league might push them away.

Basically, the NHL is in a catch-22. They want to ensure the safety of their players, but they know that the players and fans want to keep fighting. Right now, I don't see fighting going anywhere. One thing I know can be done is to manage fighting.

Right now the NHL has already taken steps to manage fighting. They have a new rule that tacks on an extra 2 minutes to the usual five for fighting if a player removes his helmet prior to a fight. A lot of good that did Parros, though it should be noted that from this season on, all rookies entering the league must wear a visor, but anyone who doesn't wish to as allowed to keep going without a visor. Parros was one of those grandfathered players. It's possible a visor could have lessened the impact, but it's rather suspect.

The NCAA already banned fighting. Anyone who gets into a fight is kicked out of the game on the spot. I've watched a couple college hockey games and I must say I rather enjoy it, so perhaps banning fighting wouldn't be the end of the world, but as I mentioned previously, the fans and players won't stand for it.

I personally enjoy fights. But I don't want anyone to get truly, seriously hurt by fighting in hockey. I hope that the NHL and NHLPA can come up with a plan to reduce the risk of fighting in the league or else someone might end up getting in a worse situation than George Parros.