from Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Gloe,
Per stats provided by the Elias Sports Bureau, fighting is down across the league by nearly two-thirds over the last 10-plus seasons, with coaches and GMs no longer compelled to fill out rosters with enforcers and policemen. In a game now framed and defined by speed and skill, those players have been rendered as forgotten as wooden sticks and leather skates....
As of the middle of this past week, slightly more than halfway through the 2018-19 season, the number was down again, to 0.38 fighting majors per game. Given that it typically takes two to tango, the current 1,271-game season will produce 482 fighting majors, or a mere 241 fights. That works out to about 16 fights per team over the course of the season. If you’re paying those high ticket prices in hopes of witnessing a fight, you might want to consider waiting for the UFC to make its way back to the Garden.
Once known for its bare knuckles, bloodbaths, and donnybrooks, the NHL of today requires courage of a different kind from its players. Because the speed has been ratcheted so high, hits are more brutalizing than ever, too often leading to injuries, including concussions — seemingly a rarity during the sport’s rock ’em, sock ’em era.
more and other topics too....
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