As of January 2016, the NHL is halfway through the season, and we’re still dealing with player safety problems. Recently, Jordin Tootoo (New Jersey Devils) got into a fight with Ryan Reaves (St. Louis Blues). Apparently he was defending his teammate Bobby Farnham who had got checked. When fighting, Tootoo took a punch to the right side of his head from Reaves. Since then, there has been a question around the league; should the NHL get rid of fighting?

Now, although Tootoo could’ve gotten hurt from the punch from Reaves, he should’ve known what was coming. In fact, they played together previously. Not only had that, but they both showed assent to dropping the gloves. In my opinion, when you drop the gloves you should be aware of what exactly you’re doing. When two players drop the gloves, they fight, so Tootoo knew what was coming. Also, he was fighting to defend a teammate who had barely been hurt, it was a clean check. Farnham had possession of the puck, so in theory, there was no reason for Tootoo to really fight. Tootoo ended up getting fined $2,000 for embellishment according to NHL.com. According to Shero, Reaves has had something against Tootoo for years via NJ.com.

We have all seen sneaks, bad refs, and what not. Should the NHL ban fighting? No. If refs would make good calls, there wouldn’t be a reason to really fight anyway. But, not only has that, fighting brings excitement to hockey. In America, hockey isn’t the most popular sport, but if you ask an NFL or NBA player what they know about hockey, it would most likely be fighting. Hockey is a tough sport, and fighting is known around the league. The NHL is the only sport where you can legally fight. Banning fighting would really soften the NHL, in my opinion.

Overall, everyone for the most part knows how tough the NHL is. For one, you’re on ice. So if you get checked hard, injury is a possibility. These are the things you have to make yourself aware of as a fan or player. When it comes to a player, you can only take so much. If you’re getting hooked, tripped, and what not without the ref making calls, you’re bound to defend yourself. Now, this may result in fighting. In my opinion, this is what keeps the game going sometimes. Fights bring energy to the fans and the team. Now, this doesn’t mean dropping the gloves should happen for no reason. There is a limit to how far you take things and why.