Fighting in the NHL

A fight that occurs at the drop of the puck will be considered a 'staged fight'.
This is a proposed new rule to curtail fighting in the NHL. This is sounds like an odd rule because isn't it a penalty to fight during a break in play? That is why the fighters wait for the drop of the puck, right? Apparently the refs will be granted a great deal of latitude in determining if a fight is staged. Allowing more subjectivity for the refs creates a situation like the piss-poor NFL where wildly inconsistent calls are common place, even with the help of review and often enrages fans. Justifiably so!
The subjectivity of the NFL is part of what makes it so bad. The NHL has by far the best reffing in the 4 majors as well as the best instant replay review. This will be a step in the wrong direction.
I agree that staged fights suck, that was one reason I wasn't too sad to see the Sheriff leave town. He rarely seemed to have his heart in a fight, a lot of tap dancing and not a lot of slugging.
Besides, if you keep eliminating fights between 'fighters' you are going to have "fights" like Liles' and Drury's recent pansy-fights, how is that fun?

Hmmm, Drury's fight from a week or two ago was SO lame, I can't even find a video of it. Did you know he won a Little League BB World Series? Yea, me neither.
Here is a recent fight between Wade Belak & Donald Brashear. I've always wished that the Avs had hung on to Belak, more exciting fighter than the Sheriff. Watch this fight, trust me, it's good. And it doesn't take long!

Now was that a staged fight? It started at the drop of the puck, that seems to be the criteria for the new rule. Staged or not, that last punch to Brashear was anything but staged. I don't like this proposed rule. Right now the refs have the discretion of breaking up fights, and they often do for a variety of reasons. If a couple guys aren't really into the fight and are just wrestling around, it often gets broken up, the boys sit in the sin bin, done. No need for 10 minute misconducts. That is just stupid.
Posted by: From the Point