The National Hockey League, or the NHL, has had a long successful history with an unfortunate lockout for its 2004-2005 season. There have been many legends in the sport, one being record breaker and keeper Wayne Gretzky, there have also been players known more for their physical strength rather than playing skills. Fighting has been a major part of hockey and is performed respectfully but sometimes it can be dirty. A hockey brawl is when there are multiple fights on the ice at one time and this takes place multiple times in the game. There have been a lot of brawls in the NHL, but they have calmed down. But back in 2007, the Ottawa Senator’s Chris Neil blindsided the Buffalo Sabres’ Chris Drury with an elbow to the head. Drury was taken off the ice with a bad cut on his head, so the Sabres’ Coach, Lindy Ruff, sent his top fighters onto the ice. And when the puck dropped so did the gloves. Not only did the players continuously fight, but the goaltenders came out of their nets and met at center ice to have a showdown. There becomes a time when the excuse for defending a player on your team is lost. Neil, the player that had hurt Drury was in the penalty box when the brawl began. When a team targets specific players to injure or beat up on, it changes the great sport into a despicable game. The National Football League, or the NFL, had changed its rules to protect its players. The NHL needs to take more responsibility to protect its players and punish the players that are ruining the sport of hockey.
I would like to know:
What the rules for fighting and hitting were in the past?
How the changes in the rules have helped or worsened the game?
And what should the NHL change to make better?