#Sports #Fight #WinnipegJets 🥊💪
Hockey is the only professional sport out of the four major North American competitions which allow fighting. While players in baseball, basketball or football can face serious repercussions for throwing a punch, that’s not the case on the ice. The National Hockey League (NHL) does not eject players outright for fighting (although they may for more flagrant violations as part of a fight). Physical play in hockey, consisting of allowed techniques such as checking and prohibited techniques such as elbowing, high-sticking, slashing, spearing and cross-checking, is strongly linked to fighting. Supporters of fighting say it provides a means of security for players, that fighting is a tool players use to keep opposing players in check; essentially allowing players to police which hits, and dirty plays are unacceptable.
Fighting is a long-established tradition in North American ice hockey. Fights may be fought by enforcers, or “goons” —players whose role is to fight, protect and intimidate—on a given team, and are governed by a system of unwritten rules that players, coaches, officials, and the media refer to as “the code”. Some fights are spontaneous, while others are premeditated by the participants.
The debate over allowing fighting in ice hockey games is ongoing. Despite its potentially negative consequences, administrators at the professional level have no plans to eliminate fighting from the game, as most players consider it essential. Most fans and players oppose eliminating fights from professional hockey games, but considerable opposition to fighting exists, and efforts to eliminate it continue.
