Fighting Rule Changes

[mckayd2001]

Read this on another fourm.

Even though nothing has been officially announced unfortunately there have been rule changes for fighting effective this season. Players will not be able to take off their helmets before fighting. If their helmets come off during the fight that's fine, but no more dumping the lids before squaring off. It sucks but apparently the league had to do it in order to have insurance for the players. I got all this info from Giants GM Scott Bonner so it's legit.

On a somewhat positive note, players will likely just unstrap their helmets after dropping the mitts that way they'll come off rather easily once they engage. Especially the tough guys or more frequent fighters. From what I understand, unstrapping helmets before fighting won't be against the rules.

link: http://www.hockeyfights.com/forums/f11/fighting-rule-changes-125834/

Has anyone else heard of these changes?

[dondo]

sounds like a recipe for a whole lot of broken hands.

I really find it disturbing that people who are supposed to know the games ins and outs are making these rash, careless decisions based upon pretty much nothing. I always found the tradition in this league of removing your helmet to be the classy move of warriors and now the league itself is trying to get players who fight hurt more often on the off-chance that they might hurt (kill) themselves in a freak accident which happens once every 40 years.

Once again a huge over-reaction by a league which should know better and a very sad direction the game as a whole is sliding.

[Joe Hallenback]

Honestly

All the games I ever played in
All the games I ever watched

I have NEVER seen anyone get hurt from a fight

and thats probably thousands of games

I have seen more people get carried out on stretchers from hits from behind though

Just goes to show you all you need is some Mom see her precious baby get his clock cleaned in a fight and this is were we end up.(This is what happened some politician mom in Quebec started this whole thing)

[Douglas]

I agree with all of the above; however no one does anything without insurance coverage. The insurance companies have so much power that when they make a policy change, they make it stick because you won’t be insured if you don’t comply. Examples of this range throughout all ranges of business, public environments such as government, schools, and dictate to a higher degree than ever before how even our cars, homes, and other buildings are constructed. that results in a big cost increase. And it will for the players in this case as well. Perhaps they should cover the losses from injuries the helmuts being on?

I’m not surprised that an uninformed group of idiots finally got to this latest idea. I’m sure the leagues have no say it the mater.