The suits in the NHL’s offices in New York and Toronto must have cringed when they watched the final 10 minutes of a recent Ottawa-Boston game.
That half-period degenerated into a series of full-scale brawls, an ugly display of what league officials have been trying–mostly in vain–to purge from the sport in recent years.
Fighting is up in the NHL this season. Nearly 20 percent more five-minute major fighting penalties had been assessed through the All-Star break. The statistics confirm it, and anyone who has watched more than a few games can see it. There seems to be more of an “edge” to games this season, and on some occasions players have gone over the edge.
The pacifist wing in the NHL–those who believe the league’s acceptance of fighting will always consign it to the second tier of major sports–may be at wits’ end. The traditionalists who view fighting as the most natural way for the players to police themselves must feel a sense of nostalgia.
The most important segment in the debate is the ticket-buying public. The NHL, lacking the broadcast revenue of rival leagues, is dependent on ticket sales for its survival, and the paying customers don’t seem to have a problem with what the NHL calls “fisticuffs.”
“It was almost a full house and the fans liked it,” Bruins coach Robbie Ftorek said after his Bruins beat, then tried to beat up, the Senators 5-2 in one of the most penalty-filled games of the season. After the game got out of hand on the scoreboard, it nearly got out of hand on the ice–there were five fights and 150 minutes in penalties over the last 10 minutes.
Even goaltenders Patrick Lalime of Ottawa and Byron Dafoe of Boston got involved, the second time this season an Ottawa goalie has been in a fight.
“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with chucking a few punches here and there,” Dafoe said.
That seems to be the prevailing view around the NHL this season. Through the first 542 games, there were 723 fighting majors assessed, compared with 607 through the same number of games last season.
Before the dust-up in Boston the league had to deal with major brawls in Ottawa and Calgary in December.
“Old-time hockey,” Los Angeles Kings goaltender Felix Potvin chirped after a melee in Ottawa featured 42 penalties worth 236 minutes in the second period alone. “You don’t see those happen too often.”
Maybe it’s the compacted schedule that has players more edgy. To accommodate the Olympic break more games are being played with less time off in between. Maybe it’s the ongoing battle for playoff berths and positioning. Maybe it’s the arrival of several coaches who weren’t shy about mixing it up as players, including the Blackhawks’ Brian Sutter.
“I didn’t know [fighting] was up,” Sutter said, echoing the surprise of many players and coaches around the league. “Ask the fans. The fans are the reason we play this game. It’s entertainment. There are two things fans like: Fans love goals and they love physical play.”
Sutter speaks from experience. When Edmonton came into the United Center last month and the Oilers’ Georges Laroque squared off with the Hawks’ Bob Probert, the crowd of 14,326 rose to its feet in anticipation. When the combatants spent more time bobbing and weaving than throwing punches, the reaction was like something from ancient Rome–the crowd turned thumbs down and started booing.
By and large, the energy picks up in an arena whenever a team’s tough guy takes the ice. And a fight “raises the temperature in the stands,” concedes Colin Campbell, the NHL’s vice president of hockey operations who has been involved with the league for 30 years as a player, coach and administrator.
Sutter has certainly reintroduced the Hawks to physical play. Last year’s coach, Alpo Suhonen, was a conscientious objector in the realm of fighting and the Hawks had 39 fights. Through 56 games this season the Hawks have already had 42 fights.
And the Hawks are choirboys compared with the Florida Panthers. In 28 games under new coach Mike Keenan, the Panthers have had 50 fights, including eight in a recent game against Atlanta and five in another against Dallas. Before Keenan took over the Panthers had 31 fights in 26 games with Duane Sutter as coach.
Around the league, a team’s enforcer is more than likely one of its most popular players. As much as Hawks fans love the speed of Tony Amonte, they also love the primal force of Probert.
In Boston there are as many signs for tough-guy P.J. Stock around the FleetCenter as for MVP-candidate Joe Thornton. Before he was traded to Philadelphia, Donald Brashear was the most popular player in Vancouver.
Toronto’s Tie Domi, one of the toughest NHL players of this or any era, says the league may be missing a marketing opportunity with its scrappers–not necessarily promoting fighting, but how tough the players are.
“The NFL markets itself like it’s a rough, tough sport,” Domi said. “We’re rough and tough too, and we’re on blades.”
Crowd-pleasing as fighting may be, Domi says there is really only one reason to drop the gloves.
“You don’t fight for the fans, you fight for your team,” he said. “You fight for your teammates. It’s a highly emotional game.”
Probert’s role is the best example of how things have changed with the Blackhawks. Last season he was involved in nine fights and usually found himself sitting in the press box the next game, scratched from the lineup. This season he has had 15 bouts, including a three-rounder with Columbus’ Jody Shelley: one fight in each period.
“I’m still here. I’m still doing my job,” Probert said.
Campbell voices the company line that fighting is only a small part of the NHL’s entertainment package. But it’s a significant part.
“It’s not fair to ask [if fighting should be eliminated] unless you’ve been involved,” Campbell said. “It’s there because it has always been. I don’t think it’s a problem in that there are serious injuries from it.”
Two examples of “old-time hockey” translating into success on the ice can be found in two old-time hockey cities: Chicago and Boston.
The willingness of Probert, Aaron Downey and Ryan VandenBussche to play a no-holds-barred physical game and drop the gloves against the opponent’s tough guys has had an impact throughout the Hawks’ lineup. It has empowered players like Mark Bell and Kyle Calder to throw their weight around and give the Hawks a more physical presence. It’s not something that shows up on a scoresheet, but “there is a role for it,” Sutter said.
In Boston, some attribute the Bruins’ rise in the East to the feistiness of Stock as much as the wondrous play of Thornton, even though Stock has just one point–an assist–in 39 games.
A recent Bruins game with St. Louis underscored Stock’s value. No sooner had Stock lined up alongside Blues tough guy Reed Low in the third period of a low-energy 2-2 tie than the gloves were off and the two were trading punches, which brought the crowd of 17,565 to its feet.
The next three minutes featured end-to-end rushes by both teams and strong physical play. Boston took the lead but couldn’t hold on and lost 4-3 in overtime, but Martin Lapointe and Bill Guerin acknowledged Stock’s role as a catalyst.
“That was a huge lift for our team,” Guerin said. “It was a great fight and the timing was perfect. P.J.’s a smart guy. He knows how to do his job and he does it well.”
Said Dafoe: “P.J. brings an element of fire. It gets guys motivated, and this brings us closer. We’ve become a very close-knit group, not just from the fighting, but there is a lot of camaraderie here.”
Camaraderie, chemistry–they’re talked about more in winning locker rooms, but in a league that seems as competitive as ever, little things can add up. With the exception of the Hall of Fame collection known as the Detroit Red Wings, there is little to separate the other 29 teams in the NHL, and never has the battle for playoff spots and seeds been more intense.
“Games are close,” Vancouver coach Marc Crawford said. “Close games bring the spirit of the game up, and the emotion of the game usually dictates the fights.”
And given the alternative, many would prefer a good old-fashioned fight to vent frustration.
“I’d rather see a good fight than someone getting hit over the head or cut with a stick,” Sutter said. “People take their frustrations out in a much smarter way.”
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Fight club
Probert’s choices
Few in the NHL have fought as many battles as the Blackhawks’ Bob Probert. Here is his list of the toughest guys in the league.
– Tie Domi, Toronto
“He shows up. If there is a problem, he’s always there.”
– Georges Laraque, Edmonton
“His size [6-3, 249 pounds] makes him intimidating.”
– Kevin Sawyer, Anaheim.
“Tough kid. Good to see a guy like that pay his dues and do well.”
– Stu Grimson, Nashville.
“Got to give him credit, he’s doing a heck of a job for his age [36].”
– Reed Low, St. Louis
“Pretty tough kid.”
– Donald Brashear, Philadelphia
“He can really have an effect on other teams.”
Top teams
The top teams in NHL in number of fights, through Monday’s games.
TEAM GAMES NO.
Florida 54 82
Boston 55 58
Calgary 53 52
N.Y. Rangers 55 50
Anaheim 57 49
Los Angeles 54 49
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