Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Orr/Boulton Prove Fighting is Needed in Hockey

Darren Elliot at SI.com says the energy that the Colton Orr/Eric Boulton fight brought to MSG the other night proves that fighting is a necessity in the NHL...

"The fans at the Garden stood and cheered in unison -- loving the action and acknowledging the effort of both hometown hero Orr and opponent Boulton. Bench shots from television showed players on their feet, banging their sticks against the boards in appreciation, with many guys sharing quick quips and crooked grins. In other words, the building was energized for everyone involved -- fans, players and broadcasters alike."

...way back when, boxing was the most popular sport in America. More than baseball, more than football. But the Don King's of the world destroyed boxing and that sport is not even a shell of its former self. But American's still love a good fight. Which is why you sometimes hear bigger ovations for fights than for goals at an NHL game.

...since that's the case the NHL needs to embrace fighting not turn away from it. They need to promote their fighters and when two teams with big time scrappers play the NHL should do a better job promoting a possible battle of heavyweights.

...with television rating lower than golf, promoting our epic scraps is paramount.

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