Hockey has become a widely loved sport across the world. It has also become one of the most dangerous sports due to the high velocity of the game. More players get seriously injured in National League Hockey because of the lack of regulation and protective gear. Rules and regulations are put in place to make the game safe, so it can be enjoyed by the fans. One argument against this statement is that there is no need for more regulation, it would make the sport boring. 

It is common that during a hockey game, a fight will break out among two or more players. While this does get the fans attention, most of the times it is a short lived fight that doesn’t last very long. So what would be the problem with getting rid of fights on the ice? Is the 10 seconds of fighting the only reason that people buy tickets to a hockey game? If we got rid of fights on the ice it would limit the amount of injuries that occur during a game, especially career altering injuries. It would also play a part in the amount of playing time star players receive on the ice. An article from the Oxford handbook of sports and economics mentions that when players get into a fight on the ice, they will get anywhere from a 5-10 minute penalty depending on the severity of the fight. This means that each team loses one or more players for the duration of the penalty causing them to potentially lose the game because their star player is in the penalty box. This then enrages the fans because they came to see their team win but due to a fight on the ice the team has lost.

While fighting on the ice is entertaining it can result in serious injuries on the ice. It has been proven that certain fights on the ice have caused career ending injuries. Fans may think that the fights on the ice are fun and entertaining, until their favorite player has a career ending injury. Fans would much rather keep seeing their favorite continue playing on the ice than see them in a 10 second fight. An excerpt from the book “Our Real Life Was On The Ice” encounters a Canadian hockey fan who speaks about his love for the game, and how much he enjoys seeing his favorite players verse their rivals. The fights in a hockey game only last for a few seconds, whereas seeing one of your favorite players on the ice while you grow up lasts a lifetime.

Injuries due to helmet regulations is also a big problem in the NHL. Some people don’t think it is that big of a deal that the face shields don’t fully cover a players face or neck. What happens when a player get seriously injured due to not having a fully covered shield. The Chicago Blackhawks player Connor Bedard suffered a serious facial injury during a game this season versus the New Jersey Devils. This required him to get emergency surgery to repair his broken jaw which caused him to be out of multiple games. When he returned back to the game, he was wearing a helmet some people may refer to as a “cage” or “fishbowl”. This is when a helmet fully covers the face to prevent facial injuries during playing time. An article from the “Open Access Journal of Sports Medicine” mentions how the orbital and facial injuries are at the most risk when it comes to NHL games due to the helmet regulations. 

At the end of the day the real fans who want to see their favorite players continue playing would be in favor of more safety measures taken, as well as more regulation to take place during the games. As Hockey is one of the most dangerous sports, it makes sense to have it be the most regulated National League sport.

Google. (n.d.). The Oxford Handbook of Sports Economics Volume 1. Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=GAH3nxAiy8QC&oi=fnd&pg=PA159&dq=do%2Bfighting%2Bin%2Bhockey%2Battract%2Bfans%2Bin%2BNHL&ots=ncydtMnM85&sig=i94IvjBb19wvnyuS-Dyq5uw5kKI#v=onepage&q=do%20fighting%20in%20hockey%20attract%20fans%20in%20NHL&f=false 

Taylor & Francis Online: Peer-reviewed journals. (n.d.). https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.2147/DMSO.S33473