Definitely a little late on this one. But from Fried Chicken's colleagues, here are the top 10 fights from the 2001 to 2010.
I was recently asked what my favorite fight of all time is. And while I was huge Stephen Peat fan, his fight with P.J. Stock is slightly overrated. Sure, it was a helluva scrap by two very tough guys. But we've seem more punches landed in a fight (see Mirasty -vs- Yablonski) and both guys walked away with no serious injuries, which is exactly what you want to see (when not judging these things). And, for the record, I have Peat edging out Stock in that fight. Stock's face show who landed the better punches. He had a nice mouse on his way to the sin bin.
The best fight for me was #2 on this list - Kyle Freadrich -vs- Ryan Vandenbussche. Freadrich's two front teeth were knocked out in the middle of the fight. They're hard to see in the video. But they go wizzing over Vincent Lecavalier's right shoulder. You can see him dodge them then continue to watch the fight.
Talk about damage! Both men went to the hospital. Both were concussed. Freadrich lost his teeth and suffered a broken nose. Vandenbussche's eye was swollen shut and he had to have surgery on his hand as he had a gash to the bone from knocking out Freadrich's teeth.
Sunday, January 26, 2014
The Current State of Fighting in the NHL
It's been a while since I've taken time to blog about hockey fights.
While I want to say it's because of a decline in the fights this year, that apparently isn't completely accurate. According to hockeyfights.com, we're currently on the same pace as we were last year. And, really, the numbers haven't drastically increased or decreased in some time.
What's unfortunate, however, is that the percentage of games with fights has steadily declined. This year, when you tune into a game, you have a 1 in 3 shot at seeing a fight.
The number of players fighting continues to decrease as well. And while the anti-fighting crowd would tell you fighting has nothing to do with toughness, I think most of us would agree there is a strong correlation. Tough players tend to drop the gloves every once in a while. So I think it's safe to say lineups are getting softer and softer.
Ultimately, this leads to boring, lackluster games. Fights occur (most times) when emotions boil over. But with softer lineups, the game are bound to lack the enthusiasm necessary to turn into a fight.
This might please some. But scoring, passing, and skating just don't cut it for many meat eating North Americans.
While I want to say it's because of a decline in the fights this year, that apparently isn't completely accurate. According to hockeyfights.com, we're currently on the same pace as we were last year. And, really, the numbers haven't drastically increased or decreased in some time.
| Season | Games | Fights* | Fights Per Game | Games With Fights | % of Games With Fights | Games With More Than One Fight | # of players who fought** |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-14+ | 1230 | 535 | 0.43 | 407 | 33.12% | 96 | - |
| 2013-14 | 782 | 340 | 0.43 | 259 | 33.12% | 61 | 247 |
| 2012-13 | 720 | 347 | 0.48 | 264 | 36.67% | 66 | 245 |
| 2011-12 | 1230 | 546 | 0.44 | 423 | 34.39% | 98 | 321 |
| 2010-11 | 1230 | 645 | 0.52 | 458 | 37.24% | 117 | 348 |
| 2009-10 | 1230 | 714 | 0.58 | 493 | 40.08% | 171 | 341 |
| 2008-09 | 1230 | 734 | 0.60 | 509 | 41.38% | 173 | 355 |
| 2007-08 | 1230 | 664 | 0.54 | 473 | 38.46% | 143 | 324 |
| 2006-07 | 1230 | 497 | 0.40 | 384 | 31.22% | 87 | 292 |
| 2005-06 | 1230 | 466 | 0.38 | 357 | 29.02% | 80 | 276 |
| 2003-04 | 1230 | 789 | 0.64 | 506 | 41.14% | 172 | 340 |
| 2002-03 | 1230 | 668 | 0.54 | 464 | 37.72% | 139 | 321 |
| 2001-02 | 1230 | 803 | 0.65 | 519 | 42.20% | 172 | 348 |
| 2000-01 | 1230 | 684 | 0.56 | 469 | 38.13% | 155 | 329 |
What's unfortunate, however, is that the percentage of games with fights has steadily declined. This year, when you tune into a game, you have a 1 in 3 shot at seeing a fight.
The number of players fighting continues to decrease as well. And while the anti-fighting crowd would tell you fighting has nothing to do with toughness, I think most of us would agree there is a strong correlation. Tough players tend to drop the gloves every once in a while. So I think it's safe to say lineups are getting softer and softer.
Ultimately, this leads to boring, lackluster games. Fights occur (most times) when emotions boil over. But with softer lineups, the game are bound to lack the enthusiasm necessary to turn into a fight.
This might please some. But scoring, passing, and skating just don't cut it for many meat eating North Americans.
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