This didn’t take long for the anti-fighting cabal to be jump on this one. Fighting isn’t going away in the NHL. If you took fighting away in the NHL, the Matt Cooke type players in the NHL would flourish. Again, I suggest getting rid of the instigator penalty.
The Globe and Mail – We may be too optimistic. Perhaps an enterprising enforcer will invent an ejectable visor. Or fighters will throw off their helmets (at least until someone dies when falling backward on his head). But visors are bound to cover more and more of the face. Players will wonder why they are protecting their eyes and not their jaws. The right to punch the other fellow into oblivion will fade away.
Hockey at all levels is working to reduce or eliminate headshots. It makes no sense that punches to the head are still permitted. The end of fighting won’t come all at once, but gently, when today’s grandfathers have said goodbye to the game.
What you’re going to see is more fights with two guys punching each other in the shield. Also, the AHL already has a mandatory visor law, so does the CHL, as well as the USHL and other junior hockey leagues. That hasn't stopped fights from happening. What do you think?
