In almost every comment I see on the fighting debate, people seem to glorify the idea of the spontaneous fight and want to get rid of the "planned" fight.
Personally, I completely disagree. The spontaneous fight where two players are just mad is a selfish fight; it's not done for the team. I appreciate the fights where a guy takes it on himself to protect his teammates or get his team going because he doesn’t do it for himself, but for the team.
It is the instigator penalty that creates planned fights because players cannot take care of things when they happen. The camaraderie in hockey is something that separates it from other sports. Junior and pro players should always have the ability to defend their teammates. The game would lose something incredibly important if that option is taken away.
Stewart Bell, Fairfax, Va.
