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Andre Otte2/28/12Argumentative paperMoore1577 wordsThe Devastating Effects of Fighting in HockeyThe crowd roars as the two men drop their gloves and circle each other at center ice. Sticks bang against the boards along the bench when the first few punches land. The oohs and aahs radiate from the crowd until the referees intervene and a unified grown rises to the rafters. Fighting is a big part of hockey. In fact, there are fights in about forty percent of games (NHL Fight Stats). There is a large debate surrounding fighting in hockey. One side argues that it is a necessary part of the game because it puts people in the stands, is expected of NHL players, and keeps its players in check. The other side argues that fighting can cause negative health effects from repeated blows to the head. I tend to agree with the later argument that fighting can have devastating health repercussions. Ultimately, fighting should be taken out of the game of hockey because of the side affects that it can cause. I am not talking about the broken fingers, the black eyes, or the knocked out teeth, but the concussions that can lead to long term, brain diseases. In the summer of 2011, three former NHL enforcers (players known for their fighting), Derek Boogaard, Rich Rypien, and Wade Belak died over the course of four months all before the age of thirty-five. All three of these men suffered from depression and substance abuse. Neurosurgeon Robert Cantu and his team of researchers at Boston University say that all of these players showed signs of an early form of chronic traumatic encephalopathy(CTE), a disease similar to Alzheimers. CTE results from the build up of hyper-phosphorylated tau protein in the frontal lobe of the brain. When this portion of the brain is damaged, it can result in memory loss, lack of impulse control, addiction, depression, and anxiety; some of the symptoms that were shared by all three of the players who died last summer. The Boston group has also found CTE in the brains of three former players other than those that died in the summer of 2011, two of which were notorious fighters. In all of the cases that have been studied by Cantu and his team none of the players have died as a direct result of CTE, but rather from side affects such as addiction and depression. Boogaard was found at his home where he was recovering from concussions sustained while fighting several months before. He had a highly unstable level of painkillers and alcohol in his system (Cohen). Rypien, like Boogaard, was on leave at home when he was found dead. The cause of death was suicide. Former NHL enforcer, Georges Laraque, shed light on this issue when he answered questions on the Cybulski & Company radio program regarding the death of Wade Belak. Laraque states, "I did it because it was my job but I hated it. I hated to fight. I hated the pressure. I hated to be called a goon, and an animal. I hated promoting violence." He went on to say, "It's the night before, the day of the game, before it starts. It's the shivers that it gives you, the worry in the head and the brain. It's when you go to a movie and you can't watch it because you're thinking the next game about having to fight Derek Boogaard or someone like that. Or you don't feel well, but something happens and you have to go out there. ... It's that pressure that's nonstop that you live with." This emotional pressure has lead many enforcers to turn to alcohol, Laraque informed the radio show. His description of the emotional distress and substance abuse support the idea that repeated blows to the head can lead to CTE. Of course, many will probably disagree with this assertion that fighting should be eliminated in hockey. In the midst of the deaths of NHL enforcers and the signs that showed that CTE played a large role in them, the NHL management has not displayed much concern. Commissioner Gary Bettman responded to the Boston group by saying that there is not enough evidence to support the fact that fighting may be the cause of CTE in these former players. However, according to the NHLs own data, eight percent of the reported concussions are due to fighting (Petchesky, Klein). This eight percent, though, is likely much lower than what is the reality. In Dr. Cantus work with hockey enforcers, he estimates that players sustain a concussion once every four or five times that they drop the gloves. He comes to this conclusion by players describing to him a stunned sensation or experiencing post-concussion symptoms after they fight (Schwartz). If Dr. Cantus estimation is correct, there would be one hundred to one hundred and fifty concussions from fights alone each year (NHL Fight Stats). The reason behind this phenomenon is that fighters are easily disposable. They do not make as much money as the big goal scorers and could be left jobless if they show a pattern of getting concussions. The game of hockey will die without the fights, some hockey purists may say. The faces of hockey are not the fighters, but the goal scorers. Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, and Steven Stamkos captivate the fans with their graceful skill, gliding along the ice as if they had spent their entire life on skates. We do not need to worry about people losing interest in hockey without fighting. What really puts people into the stands is the grace and fluidity of the game. Others will argue that it is an NHL players duty to entertain because of the career that they have chosen. This is not ancient Rome. It might be more fun to throw people into the rink and have them beat each other to a pulp with their sticks, but we dont allow that. Why should we allow fighting? Although I grant that this argument may lead to the point that there are plenty of concussions sustained in hockey during normal play, I still maintain that the vast majority of concussions sustained while fighting are not reported and thus eliminating fighting would reduce the number of concussions by fifty percent (NHL Concussion Report). The most compelling argument for fighting in hockey is that it keeps players in check by discouraging cheap shots. After a meeting with the general managers of the NHL, NHLPA executive director Paul Kelly said, "The players' view is [that] fighting actually does play an important role in the sport. Players believe that fighting, to a large degree, does cut down on some of the violence in the sport, it does cut down on the stick work and other play. It protects the star players, the smaller players." (Burnside) Im of two minds about Kellys claim that fighting keeps players in check and protects the smaller guys. On one hand, I agree that fighting does keep players in line and decrease the amount of dirty play that happens on the ice. On the other hand, I am not sure that fighting is the only way that this can be done. Substantial fines and penalties could be handed out in order to discourage dirty play. Instant replay could be put into place to review plays that might not be seen by the referees. In my opinion, this would cut down on the dirty play because players would be afraid that they would be slapped with a big fine or even suspension. Brian Burke, the general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs and a strong supporter of fighting, agrees with Kellys statement that fighting keeps players in check. Burke agreed by giving an example of his own playing days. He said that in one of his games in the American Hockey League, he fought someone the first time that he was on the ice with him. After the fight, the opposing player asked Burke why he had wanted to fight, to which Burke told the other player that he had speared him in the back of the leg two years ago when they were playing college hockey against each other (Burnside). Sure, this is a way to keep each other in check, but it does seem like some are abusing the system in order to fulfill some personal vendetta. My discussion of fighting in hockey is in fact discussing the larger issue of violence in sports. Why do we have our athletes harm their bodies for our entertainment? Should we eliminate sports where blows to the head are commonplace? I do not have the answers to these questions, but I do believe that the unnecessary injuries that come from fighting in hockey should be put to an end. The two men circling each other at center ice are doing their job. In two minutes, the less unfortunate man skates off to the penalty box with the crowd spinning in front of him and a pounding in his ears, but he wont tell the trainers. He doesnt want to lose his job or disappoint the fans when he cant suit up for the next game. Fighting in hockey should be eliminated in order to take a step towards increasing player safety. This will lower a players risk of developing severe brain damage and destructive diseases such as CTE.

Works Cited Burnside, Scott. "Lockout Helps Thornton Rethink Role On, Office." ESPN.com. N.p., 9 Mar. 2009. Web. 28 Feb. 2013. Cohen, Tom. "Three Hockey Enforcers Die Young in Four Months, Raising Questions." CNN. Cable News Network, 01 Sept. 2011. Web. 28 Feb. 2013. Klein, Jeff Z. "Lingering Effects: N.H.L.'s Experts Want More Research." The New York Times. The New York Times, 13 Dec. 2011. Web. 28 Feb. 2013. "NHL Concussion Report: End of Regular Season(98)."The Concussion Blog. N.p.,

n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2013.

"NHL Fight Stats." Hockey Fight Statistics. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2013. Schwartz, Daniel. "Are NHL Enforcers' Addictions, Depression a Result of On-ice Brain Trauma?" CBCnews. CBC/Radio Canada, 03 Sept. 2011. Web. 28 Feb. 2013.