While the NHL still views fisticuffs as a part of the game, the truth is players are often injured during fights on the ice and a young man in Ontario, Canada died last season several days after falling to the ice during a fight. That incident alone should have been enough to get rid of fighting from hockey, but sadly it hasn’t changed a thing.

The hockey higher-ups will argue that fighting is already illegal in the sport as players who engage in it are penalized for their actions. Technically that’s correct, but a five minute penalty isn’t nearly harsh enough. Severe punishment needs to be dished out and players need to be banned from games to stamp out fighting as much as possible.

It’s not that I don’t like fights. I love boxing and actually used to enjoy the bench-clearing brawls of the 1970s. But times have changed, and not for the better. When two guys went toe-to toe in the old days it was because somebody had ticked somebody else off and tempers reached a boiling point. Gloves were dropped and punches were thrown in anger.

But these days NHL fights resemble professional wrestling as the majority of them are staged or premeditated. There’s no anger involved in most of today’s hockey scraps and you’ll often see guys face off against each other for their first shifts of the game and proceed to go at it. I don’t see how these players can be agitated with each other after sitting on the bench all night.

The hockey culture itself is mainly to blame as it teaches youngsters that the sport is policed by the participants. By the time junior players reach their teenage years they’re so immune to it. The whole concept of protection and revenge on the ice is ridiculous. Other than the designated goons, nobody else fights anyway. Why not just let them slug it out at 7pm, get it out of the way with and then drop the puck at 7:30.

NHL scouts and general managers are also partly to blame. It’s hard to understand that ‘tough guys’ such as Brad May and Wade Belak were drafted in the first round while skilled players such as Tomas Kaberle, Steve Sullivan, Pavel Datsyuk, Steve Thomas, Brian Rafalski, Martin St. Louis, and Henrik Zetterberg went near the end of the draft or weren’t drafted at all.

It doesn’t seem right that young players work their butts off to make it in the NHL only to have some goon drafted before them just because they can fight. There are way too many skilled players being released, put on waivers, and sent down to the minors due to roster spots being taken by fighters. If the NHL banned fighting from the game, these youngsters would be given the chance to play. When skilled players are losing their spots to guys like Donald Brashear, fans should be alarmed. Young players are never going to develop into elite NHLers if they don’t get the opportunity to play.

There aren’t too many skilled players around these days who can take care of themselves and play the game at a high level. But if you can’t stand up for yourself, you’re probably better suited to a less-physical sport.

July 8, 2009.

Toronto – It has been less that a year since Brian Burke took the reigns as the Toronto Maple Leafs President and General Manager but already the team has a new look and some much needed optimism in a city that was starved for it. Having to clean up the mess left behind by the previous GMs John Ferguson Jr. and Cliff Fletcher Burke still has some work ahead him but the wheels are already in motion.

Stating all along that he wanted this team to be more “truculent and tougher” Burkes first move when taking over was to bring in an old friend in winger Brad May from Anaheim. More for his locker room presence than anything May was very long in the tooth and ended up costing Toronto nothing in terms of any type of return; May was instrumental in helping rookie Luke Schenn in his development even moving in with the young star during the season. Not expected to return this season May was a great pickup for nothing.

At the end of the regular season Burke worked his magic and signed a couple of overage college players in Christian Hanson and Tyler Bozak. While Hanson isn’t expected to be more than a third line player Bozak has the potential to be a top six forward and will get every opportunity to ply his trade with a ton of ice time this season.

The trade deadline brought high expectations with names such as Nik Antropov, Alexei Ponikarovsky, Vesa Toskala, Dominic Moore and Jason Blake being thrown around Antropov and Moore ended up being the only roster players moved for some valuable second round draft picks. Burke showed his genius with an inventive deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning literally buying a fourth round draft pick in exchange for some garbage contracts causing a stir among fellow GMs around the league Burke showed off his Harvard law degree with this move.

Vowing to try to trade up in the entry draft to land coveted prospect John Tavares or even within the top five draft choices to get a shot at Luke’s brother Brayden Schenn Burke could not find a dance partner and wound up where they started selecting with their own pick in the number seven spot taking Nazem Kadri. The Kadri pick combined with all the trade talk that seemed to fall through Leaf fans, not exactly known for their patience, were starting to vent expecting Swedish stud Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson or defenseman Jared Cowen to be selected. Topping off the day in Leaf nation was the talk of a potential blockbuster deal that would send longtime Maple Leaf blueliner Tomas Kaberle to the rival Bruins in exchange for potential 40-goal sniper Phil Kessel and a draft pick. Miscommunication between the two clubs nixed the trade that many NHL experts expected to be a “sure thing.” Toronto fans were not pleased with many jumping off the bandwagon.

If draft day was a letdown the off season was anything but; free agent signings Mike Komisarek, Francois Beauchemin and the gem of the UFA season, netminder Jonas Gustavsson, “the best goalie outside the NHL” as has been said numerous times were all signed. Pavel Kubina was dealt to the Atlanta Thrashers for another heavy hitting defenseman Grant Exelby and potential third line agitator Colin Stuart. With the logjam of Leaf blueliners now at ten something has to give. Rumors are swirling of Kaberle being traded to either St. Louis, who are in dire need of a veteran puck moving defenseman, or to the Bruins for Kessel in a reworked draft day deal that went sour. Kessel would fill the Leafs biggest need right now, a slick top line goal scorer.

Burke may not be finished signing free agents; Anthony Stewart and Travis Moen have both been linked to Toronto and both seem to fit Burke statements of getting bigger and tougher up front.

Retooling rather than rebuilding Burke fully expects this team to make the playoffs from now on under his watchful eye. Judging by his first year on the job the Leafs bandwagon might not have enough room to seat everybody with each move he makes more and more people are buying into what Burke is selling. For the first time in a long time there is optimism in Leaf nation.