One of the most aggressive, bloodthirsty sports is receiving a lot of criticism for its brutality. As twelve players from two opposing teams put all their effort into the fast-paced sport, fans watch for punches to be thrown hoping brawls will be started. Even though the fights are seen as horrible, aggressive behavior, they stand for a larger purpose in the game. The fights are very important to the motion of the game and require far more strategy than many spectators would expect. The NHL has taken notice to the lasting effects hard hits and fighting may pose which has caused them to look at ways to improve the safety of the game. Even though further safety precautions are being taken. Fighting is declining on its own even though players continue to use it as a technique to police the game. Despite the physical and emotional effects, the brawls in hockey may pose, there are many reasons why fighting is still crucial to the game as well as many explanations as to why players take care of the issue on their own, but further action must be taken to help players both current and retired to protect their health. 

One of the biggest safety concerns that comes about during games are the lasting outcomes that fighting poses on a player's health. Fighting became a much larger public concern because "the recent deaths of three enforcers highlighted the potential link between head trauma and mental illness which [have] ignited a debate about whether fighting should have a place in the NHL" (Gregory). At the time that this statement was made, Derek Boogaard, a New York Ranger's player had just cut his last season (2010-2011) short due to a concussion that stemmed into larger mental issues which lead to his untimely death. The largest concern should be the safety of the players (especially enforcers who are the known fighters in the game.) Enforcers are the ones who face the biggest risks of damaging their health. So many people beyond the ice have begun to notice these risks as well. One Canadian news reporter for Global News recaps a professional game saying "Two huge players punched each lights out. One guy's head hit the ice like a hammer" (GlobalToronto). The reporter uses this simile to explain just how hard the players are checked by their opponents. Many more fans and officials are noticing these events during games. A few enforcers like Derek Boogaard, Rick Rypien (former Vancouver Canucks player), and Wade Delak (from the Nashville Predators) have poppedup in the news recently as they become an example of what happens to the players after the brawls on the ice occur. It is not uncommon for these players to suffer from issues like chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) along with concussions. This injury is commonly associated with memory issues, behavioral and personality changes, as well as other severe progressive brain damage due to repetitive hits to the head. There are many studies which have been conducted that now inform the public about how frequently these traumas occur. These studies also explain that "head trauma in hockey has several causes, which include fighting and direct intentional hits to the head" (Kale). Hockey includes so many differently elements in a single game when it comes to playing aggressively. Because of this it is easy for a player to receive one of this hits to the head when being checked. Many times the blows to the head are unintentional but they still occur. This is especially a problem when a player is sandwiched between an opponent and the glass as they are checked. When a player is checked in this manner, they are feeling force from both their opponent and the glass, which can create detrimental issues. 

The NHL has taken the initiative to further prevent these injuries and "In recent years the NHL has taken steps to improve player safety, mainly related to head shots. Rule 48 made hits to the head illegal, and suspensions increased to serve as a deterrent" (The Canadian Press). The league is trying to further the safety of the game but still allow the players to have their fights. Regardless these fights can still cause disruptions to the health and life of a player. Medical professionals give advice to players on how to go about living because of the long-term effects. Many players are advised to keep a daily journal based on the severity of their memory issues that may occur if they ever want to recall certain events or later write a memoir. Despite what the medical professionals say about the sport and the impact that fighting along side with playing aggressively has, the athletes themselves have different views about fighting during the games.

Brandon Prust and Daniel Carcillo are two National Hockey League players who both have expressed their views about how the sport and the aggressive elements have impacted them. In an article that Prust wrote for The Player's Tribune, Prust argues "the NHL needs fighting to keep the game safe" and to keep the game in control of the players (Prust). In a game against Anaheim about a month prior to writing the article, Prust elaborates about something he believes is becoming all-too-common in the game. He believes that players are not always properly held accountable throughout the games. He explains an instance where one of his fellow teammates was injured during that game by an opponent who had sent Prust's fellow teammate head-first into the glass after making a pass. Although it was the third period, Prust decided to take matters into his own hands and make a point after the referee did not call a penalty on the play that had sent his teammate to the hospital. He started a fight to draw attention to the cheap shot that was taken against his teammate. The message he was trying to convey to not just the player but in his eyes to the league was that runs cannot be made at the best players on the teams or any players for that matter, especially because of the severity of the play. This message was sent via the fight that Prust started against the opponent. Prust further expands on the importance of fighting and how it is not just for the sole purpose of being barbaric nor to get physical. It is used as a strategy which can be used to swing the momentum of a game. This can be very helpful if a team is looking to gain courage as well as dig into their last reserve to finish out a game well. Also, Prust explains that all the players in the league takes head injuries very seriously and cheap shots do not usually occur during games because "there's a mutual respect between enforcers" (Prust). The players themselves all share a common understanding where cheap shots will not be tolerated within the games but they will still look to send their messages of frustration without causing great harm to their opponents. The fights are not about maiming nor injuring the opponents but rather to make sure that their opponents understand what is fair and what is not.

Daniel Carcillo, of the Chicago Blackhawks, addresses in a YouTube video posted on behalf of The Player's Tribune what happens to the players when they end up enduring injuries. Carcillo was affected by fighting in a different way than Prust. Carcillo spoke about abusing pills in his time of recovery after he received a concussion during a game. This abuse was in part due to depression that Daniel had dealt with throughout his time off the ice and away from the sport. He struggled getting back into the game and leading a sober life after a couple of surgeries that also occurred. The video serves as Carcillo's way to call for a change in the not only the physical help but mental support as well that the players receive when they have to hang up their skates, whether it is a temporary amount of time or permanently. He spoke of a personal experience as well. He explains what he felt after an NHL veteran and close friend, Steve Montador was found dead. Carcillo explained how he saw the deterioration of his friend who battled with depression and memory loss that came in part from the game. He describes that Montador had multiple sets of keys for just one lock due to memory issues which lead Daniel to believe "he was really worried about the future. Over the years I saw under that deterioration of his mind and I think he must have felt that as well" (Carcillo). There were detrimental tolls that took place with the health of his teammate that ultimately lead to his death. This caused Daniel to ask veterans who he had played with about the exit program that the NHL Players' Association had and found "not one guy could tell me what it was" (Carcillo). This sparked large concerns about how the health of players were being dealt with by the league. Many players believe that when they tend to fall back from the sport it is best to make less noise after dealing with injuries and issues like these, the better. The death of Steve Montador was not just merely of acquaintance, it was a teammate and a close friend. The death should not be overlooked. Players should be able to seek and receive the help they need through those hard times just like any other human. He addresses the importance of a better exit program for the players as well as expresses his desire for others (especially officials and managers of the league) to know just how valuable it is to have a good program that consists of more than just a phone call when players are out of the game dealing with injuries as well as their own mental challenges. Daniel Carcillo believes that "if he had the right help, I think he would still be here with us" (Carcillo). The program needs to be implemented by the NHL in order to better the lives of their athletes.

Despite the challenges that fighting poses on players addressed in the video by Carcillo, brawling is on a drastic decline from the foreground of professional hockey games. This is happening because the role of an enforcer is not as popular as it once was. Teams are making fights go away on their own. In "Hockey Fights Are Going Away as Necessity Dwindles," Adam Gretz explains that "as general managers and coaches put more of an emphasis on skill and actual hockey ability throughout their lineup that role is only going to further decrease" (Gretz). Gretz is addressing are the enforcers. Teams look to have the best players on their roster which no longer includes the big players who can throw an effective punch. A player who is able to cut and move the puck down the ice is seen as much more of a beneficial player to have on the team compared to someone who would only be playing short amounts of time to be an intimidator on the ice. There simply is no longer room for a player that cannot keep up with the rest of the pack and players will not be kept just because of their sheer size or aggression that they may bring to the ice. As the NHL sees the decline in the role Charlie Gillis, author of "Last Days of the Brawler" claims that "few hardcore fans seemed to notice last year as the share of games in which fights occurred dipped below 27 per cent, down about a third from averages seen in the 2000s" (Gillis).  These numbers show just how much fighting is on the decline within the NHL and how little notice there is from the fans' perspective. The fights are declining more as players skate on the ice with the intention to play instead of releasing more than necessary amounts of aggression. Despite the decline in the role of the enforcer, "fights are still going to be popular among a significant portion of the NHL's fan base, and they will bring fans out of their seats when they happen" (Gretz). There will always be room for fights in the professional level of hockey despite the decline the brawls are currently taking. Fighting is still seen as a crucial part of the game. Even if the amount of fights that occur continues to decline it will never become obsolete. The significance that fighting carries in the game will also never go away because of the purpose that it serves.

Fighting allows players to police the game on their own and to be able to send a message when an unfair event occurs within the game. This poses one of the greatest questions that is still asked; whether or not brawls on the ice are moral. Many argue that fighting is not a socially normal nor acceptable behavior so it should not be allowed to take place in the game. The question poses a very large gray area between what many would consider "right" and "wrong." Ryan Lewinson, a PhD student in biomedical engineering at the University of Calgary's Human Performance Laboratory believes when one of the athletes starts a brawl on the ice, "he will be acting by self-discipline, justice, and integrity by not fighting, and on the other, he will be viewed as courageous, loyal, and selfless when he chooses to fight" which allows an individual to make their own opinion about the player's actions during the game (Lewinson). When every individual fan makes their own opinion about the fight that took place there is quite a bit of disagreement and commotion about whether the fight was moral. The only opinions that really matters about the fight that took place are the opinions of the players. They are the ones taking the hits, throwing punches, fighting over the plays, and they are the ones who have to continue to play the rest of the game after a fight occurs, not the fans. Despite hockey being a close-ruled system morality is still relevant during the game. A very important point about these brawls that was made by Brandon Prust is "If fighting didn't exist, those guys could skate around all game trying to head-hunt the skill players on the other team with no repercussions. It's not about the fight itself" (Prust). The fights carry large amounts of significance in the game and there are reasons why they happen. As a spectator there should be no room for a fan to decide if the fights were just or not because they usually do not know the whole situation.  Players should be the final opinion as to where or not the fights that occur are moral on a case by case basis.

Without the aggressive nature of hockey which includes fights, hockey would not be the same sport that it is. Brawling in the game is an important part of the sport and should continue to have its place in the NHL. From swinging the momentum of the game to players taking matters into their own matters and policing the game, fights serve a great purpose to the players. It is a crucial element to the sport but more attention should be brought to the detrimental effects that occur during the games. The NHL needs to take further steps to improve the programs that they have in place when players are injured. Help should be given beyond just a phone call regardless of the situation. Players should be able to feel like they have the support they need to lace up their skates once more. As the league continues to improve their exit program there should also be more precautions taken to protect players which in return will lead to further prevention of head injuries. As the brain traumas and injuries increase so should the precautions to prevent them from continuing to occur for the sake of the players' health. These athletes should not be afraid to step onto the ice and play to the best of their abilities but yet that is the case. Players are policing the game themselves because many times they find that referees miss important calls that have caused serious injury to these athletes. As the game continues to be played, the athletes should only have to worry about playing to the best of their abilities rather than worrying whether the game will be a battle for their own safety.

