Here we go! My first blog. This is a blog, right? So I can talk about anything I want. I choose hockey.
Now there's many different topics to talk about within hockey. (I realize my background is a basketball hoop, but it was the best looking background I could find.) So I think I'll start off by talking about the most controversial hockey topic there is: should fighting be in the game?
Yes.
Next topic. Just kidding.
First of all, it's not about entertainment. I mean, it is, but it isn't. Fighting is in the game and should continue to be in the game, because it teaches respect. In the wild west, people earn respect by shooting the other person. We've come a long way since then. And if hockey was the wild west, instead of shooting the other player, you fight them. In all seriousness, most people who have played competitive hockey would say fighting belongs in the game. I mean, Gretzky disagreed with fighting, but had no problem with Dave Semenko fighting for him. Gretzky would not have the points, the championships, and the records today if it wasn't for Semenko intimidating people into leaving Gretzky alone. Without the enforcer, we don't have the superstar. Without Semenko, Gretzky's career would have been cut majorly short.
In today's game, we see way more head shots, cheap shots, because player aren't afraid of consequences on the ice. Let the players police themselves. The cream of the crop will rise to the top. The players who are most respected will have long careers because they have the protection of the enforcer. I'm not saying I support fighting all the time, but I think fighting separates the men from the boys. If you're hard working, have integrity, and love the game, fighting will stop on its own. Without American's being offended by a good ol' hand-throwing contest. Because it's not about fighting. It's about respect.
