Many hockey fans enjoy it, but staged fights are not essential to the game, and too much of it could cause problems later on, says Adam Proteau. Matt Rempe and Kurtis MacDermid [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjA1NTA4MDExOTAzNDI4MTM0/usatsi_22937157_168400847_lowres.jpg] Matt Rempe and Kurtis MacDermid Despite having little nutritional value, cotton candy is a popular treat for many people. The sweet sugar rush rumbles around the bloodstream, and at the time you consume it, it makes sense why you choose to gobble it down. But on a fundamental level, there’s nothing it provides that the body needs. And if you consume too much of it, you can eat yourself into health issues. This is how this writer sees NHL staged fighting – like the incident Wednesday night between the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers [https://thehockeynews.com/news/hockey-world-reacts-as-rangers-and-devils-brawl-takes-rivalry-to-new-level]. The two teams staged a 5-on-5 brawl as soon as the opening whistle was blown, and the officials handed out game misconducts to four of the five fighters on each team. It was a spectacle, but not one that is going to be the difference between winning or losing a game. Now, we’re not here to tell you some fans in attendance and some watching at home didn’t get an adrenaline boost from the Rangers and Devils brawl. We grew up in the 1970s and 1980s when fights were much more common. We understand the appeal of fisticuffs, and it’s easy to see the tribalism and emotion that factor into staged fights. On a base level, it’s a release of sorts. But that doesn’t mean there’s a place for it in the modern game. To the contrary – every time we witness one of these incidents, it becomes clearer and clearer the game doesn’t need it, and the cons of it outweigh the pros. For instance: after the Devils-Rangers brouhaha took place, each team had to play four men down. New Jersey is currently desperately fighting to secure the second and final wild-card berth, but the four players they lost could’ve been difference-makers where it truly counts – on the scoresheet. And having other players take on the extra minutes only affects the quality of each shift as well. The Devils wound up losing the game 4-3 to the Blueshirts [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-jersey-devils/latest-news/new-jersey-devils-new-york-rangers-john-marino-kandre-miller-line-brawl-kurtis-macdermid-matt-rempe], which might spell the end of their Stanley Cup aspirations this year. What would’ve happened if they were at full strength? We’ll never know. And that could haunt New Jersey fans the rest of the regular season and throughout the summer. Here’s another reason you can’t take staged brawls seriously: if those kinds of fights didn’t take place, would there have been a long lineup of ticket-holders seeking refunds after the game ended? As the old saying goes, “No.” Staged fights have been squeezed out of the game for good reason – they aren’t a necessary part of the entertainment product. We’ve chosen the side of the game where playing the sport is the skill that matters most. We know better now when it comes to non-necessary fighting. We also know how people would react if a 5-on-5 brawl occurred in any other of the big four pro sports leagues. If it happened in the NBA, MLB or NFL, there would be lengthy suspensions. A spur-of-the-moment fight is more understandable, but there’s no tolerance for phony fights elsewhere. This isn’t to say fights aren’t going to happen; fights take place in other leagues all the time, but there’s an ensuing punishment designed to deter something silly and damaging from happening again. And certainly, any league that had a game that started with five different fights would be rightly raked over the coals if they didn’t react with multiple suspensions for all involved. This hockey-exclusive notion of the noble vigilante simply doesn’t pass the smell test anymore. A one- or two-minute exchange of punches doesn’t solve anything. It doesn’t give an edge to anyone. It’s a quicksand, swallowing those involved with no regard for the short- or long-term consequences that come with it. It’s cotton candy for the game, basically. Hockey doesn't need it, and the risks outweigh the benefits of having it long-term. For that reason, the NHL has to be more punitive with brawls like we saw Wednesday. The fewer we see of these kinds of outbursts, the better the game will be.
