Maybe but i doubt it.... I remember in boxing when Ray boom boom Mancini had a fight and his opponent died 5 days later, and boxing is still around. MMA is also a much more dangerous sport with potential for injury and worse, and it isnt going away anytime soon. Maybe the rules somehow can be modified to limit fighting but to take it completely out of the NHL, i dont see it, it's always possible, but i just do not see it.
But you're comparing apples with oranges. Fighting in hockey is nothing but a sideshow, while in boxing & MMA it's what the 'sport' is all about. The only time you see fighting in hockey is in the NHL, minor & junior leagues. No fighting is allowed in the world championships, Olympics & international hockey.
What i'm saying is that you don't need fighting for hockey to be played, or survive. A point could be made that the game is actually much better without it. You don't have the goons who can barely skate who can't score in the world championships, Olympics & international hockey. You have REAL hockey players. Not the John Kordics, Jay Millers, Dave Browns, Dave Schultz, George Laracques, Colton Orrs & company. At least Tie Domi could skate & score the odd goal once in a while. Same with Bobby Probert.
What scares me the most in hockey is the fact many players have fallen down & hit their heads on the ice during a fight. This is what killed Donald Sanderson. Usually their helmets have been removed. This is what caused Cole Orr's concussion last year....well, i should say the one that ended his season. He suffered two other concussions in other fights last year, mostly that one against that big Penguins defenceman (England) that knocked him out for a few seconds. That was nasty!
Finally, you see former goons who call for a ban against fighting, versus the other goons like Domi & Laracque who say that fighting has its place in hockey. Domi (whom i used to refer to as 'Tie Dummy' when he played with the Rangers & Jets) actually blasted the former players who were against fighting since it would take away jobs. Well, what about the jobs that have been taken away from kids with real skills...who can score & skate? Yet, their spots are taken away from them on NHL teams by goons who play less than 5 minutes a game who are simply there for fisticuffs & intimidation purposes. It's not right.
To conclude, i for one hopes that fighting will remain in the game, mostly because the NHL season is way too long & half the players on the teams have no business playing in the NHL earning millions. The problem is, there are too many teams in the NHL & there are way too many games. So with the product & the level of talent diluted, you need to do something in order to maintain fan interest, especially in the States where hockey is often less popular than bowling. The end result? Fighting. It'll be here to stay as long as you have the Brian Burkes & Paul Holmgrems leading the way.
Does a team really need a goon? I used to think so. But i've changed my position last season after watching the Montreal Canadiens nearly make it to the NHL finals. My money would have been on them to win the Cup had they gone past the remarkable Tim Thomas and the mighty Boston Bruins. The Canadiens nearly won the whole thing without a single 'goon' on their team, and a case could be made that the feat was achieved by the Bruins. Did the Bruins really have any goons on their team? If your a habs fan, you'd say yes & right away name Zdeno Chara & Milan Lucic....both long-time habs nemesis.....but those players have plenty of skill & talent. They made the NHL because of their skills & talent....not because of their prowess with fists. So my conclusion is that the Bruins won the Cup without having a goon on the team. Was there any fighting in any of their series? I can't recall one single fight.
If the NHL were really serious about taking out fighting out of the game, they'd start doing it by imposing tougher penalties for players who want to fight. I'd start with an automatic 10-minute misconduct for anyone who fights. If the fight is orchestrated....meaning two goons are fighting just for the sake of fighting....throw them out of a game. I'm getting sick n' tired of play stoppages in order to watch two goons go at it just for show. The games are already way too long as is.....sure, let the goons fight, but kick them out of the game once they've done their little parade in front of the fans in attendance. Once this happens, i doubt teams will want to keep a spot or two in the lineup for such no-talent players.
