Fighting has been an officially accepted part of the hockey at the professional level for almost a century. In 1922, the National Hockey League incorporated Rule 56 into its official rule book, which governed what it then called "Fisticuffs" as an official part of the game. read more
The debate over allowing fighting in ice hockey games is ongoing. Despite its potentially negative consequences, such as heavier enforcers (or"heavyweights") knocking each other out, administrators at the professional level have no plans to eliminate fighting from the game, as most players consider it essential. read more
It helps to remember that fights in hockey are 99% consensual. If you don't want to fight you turn your back and that's it. There are players that fight and players that don't, and it's not really a machismo/honor thing that you MUST fight. No one thinks less of you for not being a fighter. read more
Hockey players are not really “allowed” to fight, according to the game’s rules. Fighting is an infraction, and it is punished by a penalty. The penalty is quite tame when compared with other sports. For many years, there has been a population of puckheads who claim that fighting is necessary so that the players can police the game. read more
History of Fighting in Ice Hockey. The NHL was the first to introduce fighting in its league with Rule 56. (Yes, there are hockey fight rules.) This rule resulted in players involved in a fight receiving a five-minute penalty, rather than being ejected from the game. Eventually, this rule was used by other amateur North American hockey leagues. read more