Interesting Article on Page 2 of ESPN About Fighting....?

Question

What do you think of this article? It's kind of long, but I found it pretty interesting. I think towards the end it captures the essence of the why it's part of the game.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=goons

Answer 1

Good article..enjoyed reading it.

Answer 2

Ouch!!  It was an interesting read, and within The Code, looks as if fighting will still have its role.

I've loved many a fightless game (post lockout hockey discoverer living in Detroit, nuff said), but there's nothing like a bit of hot sauce in a bland casserole.....

Go Wings

Answer 3

I can see why fighting is part of the game, but I still cringe a bit at the thought of someone whose *sole* purpose for being on the ice is to get into fights.

Answer 4

Great article, Goons do have a place in hockey and always should! Taking fighting away from hockey is like taking Crosby away  from Bettman!

I would go knutz as Bettman would!

Answer 5

I enjoyed the article! Thanks for sharing!

Personally, I think each player has a roll to play out there. Whether it be the sniper, the leader, or the nitty gritty "Goon."

A lot of people may not agree with it, but it works!

Besides, what gives a team more momentum  then an old fashioned brawl!

Answer 6

you read the part about the kemp kid, and also about boogy filling in a role, or that he's not going to be the next gretzky so he's bring in another element. at first when i was starting to read the article, i was like who is this story going to cover, but i know the characters cause i watch hockey, and i've watched specials they had on basic cable about hockey goons. you're right it is an interesting article, to see the descriptions this writer comes up with, the comparisons, and also the backgrounds of the guys.

so i don't support goon hockey, but i like fighting (always have), and i'm not going to be the one who says fighting should be taken out of hockey. yeah maybe these guys should've found careers in another area that is more friendly to their preferences/skills, but i don't think they're so inhumane that you can't see why they are themselves. i think there's a stigma that's being attached to fighting in hockey that shouldn't be there, because unless you're involved you don't know. you're just a spectator, and as a spectator the reactions you have to the sport can all be relative. people who don't know hockey use the statement the girl with the fighting question asked today of all of a sudden it just happens. it's not an all of the sudden thing most times, and i've seen worse non fighting moments in hockey vs really bad results of fighting moments in hockey. i.e. late/bad checks.

i may be desensitized, i may agree with the writer on some things, but i don't like when people try to make generalizations (like myself), or use the word sissyfying of the nhl/of the general public. i think people have a heightened awareness of violence, and think that it shouldn't be a part of sports/society, but you can't just force people to change who they are, or even how they're affected by the environment that shapes them. it takes longer than just making a rule/a law to effect change, because this so called "goon/enforcer" role has a history in the sport.

another thing i've heard when this topic come up is "if these guys are so into fighting then why don't they go into boxing, or mma, or something where they can get their fix, where fighting is regulated"...well then you'll accept the violence of those sports because it's "regulate". that doesn't make much sense. if you have a stance against something stick with it and stop making exceptions i.e. the current nhl today=oh we don't encourage fighting, but we know that it happens and it's something the public accepts as an exciting aspect of the game.

i think i should make myself clear, because i'm not a fan of the word goon/enforcer, but i am a fan of "every player has a role to play on a hockey team" philosophy and that's where i stand.

yeah sorry i say a lot, but it's something that always pisses me off when people bring it up. like boogy and them taking boxing classes (because he also teaches it in his fighting class) is something people would argue and say it gives him an unfair advantage in fighting, but who's to say he can't do that and retain all the other skills he learns from that sport you know. but maybe it's wrong that people just get into hockey for the fighting...because of course it's barbaric and involves no skills, and that shouldn't be why they get into the game. right.

Answer 7

BEST ARTICLE EVER.

ONE OF THE REASONS I LIKE HOCKEY... I MEAN LOVE HOCKEY.

BUT y dont they show some pics of the greatest fighter of all time in my eyes

ROB RAY   or      ANDREW PETERS????

Answer 8

Fighting is one of the best parts in hockey.

Answer 9

Cool, but way too fricken long.

Answer 10

Great sports writer isn't he? NOT