Kukla's Korner Hockey
OHL Fighting Down 20% Due To 10-Fight Rule
by Paul on 11/25/12 at 09:28 PM ET
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from Jeff Z. Klein of the New York Times,
“Generally, it’s done a decent job of getting rid of the staged fights,” said Windsor Coach Bob Boughner. “I don’t think it’s an antifighting rule, but the league wants to see fighting curbed. They don’t want to see a player get 30 or 40 fights in a season, and I have some agreement with that.”
Boughner is no pacifist. He had 105 fights during his 10-season N.H.L. playing career, and with him behind the bench last season, the Spitfires’ 101 fights led the O.H.L. by a wide margin. They lead again this season but are on pace to finish with 90.
The O.H.L. sends more players to the N.H.L. than any other development league. The league’s president, David Branch, is seen as the leader in reforming the game at the major junior level. He imposed penalties for hits to the head four years before the N.H.L. did, and in 2009, he made a player subject to suspension for removing his helmet to fight.
The 10-fight rule is the latest in a series of small steps to reduce fighting and, as he put it last season, “evolve away from it.”
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Let’s wait to pass judgement on this rule when the last month of the season takes place - you know, when the players have a number of fights left on their dance card.
I still think this is a great rule, and a great first step to getting rid of one-dimensional players in junior, but I remain a tad skeptical that some of these players are waiting to fill their dance card when the last 10 games are being played out.
Posted by Hank1974 on 11/25/12 at 09:39 PM ET