Five against fighting: 1. It is wrong to punch people. That's why in kid's hockey it is not allowed. No one thinks it is a good idea to have kids punching other kids. There shouldn't be an age limit on self-control. 2. Don't make the "dumb athlete" stereotype worse for NHL and junior hockey players. 3. Rules should be followed, otherwise change the rules. If fighting is illegal, why are there NHL rules for it? Among others, you are expected to drop your stick and gloves. Yup, there are rules about how to break the rules, and if you break the rules about breaking the rules, the penalties are stiffer than for breaking the original rules. Sound moronic? It is! 4. Fighting takes away from the flow of the game. I love Olympic hockey because it is dynamic. I like good passing, fast skating, and don't want to wait through commercial breaks or flying fists and broken noses. Like a cell phone that distracts an actor on Broadway, a fight in hockey stops something good, and the play doesn't continue afterwards at the same intensity. 5. Saying that fighting has always been part of hockey doesn't make it right. Franchises shouldn't pander to the loud drunks screaming for blood at games. Families will attend if they know they don't have to shield their kids from the fights, and reteach everything they taught them about violence. (And if that wasn't reason enough, think how you'd feel about this if you were one of Don Sanderson's friends or family. A defenceman for the Whitby Dunlops, he died Jan. 2, 2009, three weeks after he was injured in a on-ice hockey fight. He was 21.) Make your voice heard. Sign the petition now! Fill out the poll. Join the group on Facebook: Ban Hockey Fights Now http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=48014676615&ref=mf. Post your thoughts on the right penalties. |  |
