Ask Me Anything PPT Presentation on "Fighting in Hockey" presented by Mark Pettigrew at Seneca College Sports Marketing 2014

1. A PRESENTATION FOR SEA225
Presented by Mark Pettigrew

2. FIGHTING: It is an established tradition of the
sport in North America, with a long history.
History:
 Fighting more rare in early 20th century, but more brutal
 1970’s Philadelphia Flyers “Broadstreet Bullies” popularized
fighting in NHL
 1977 – 3rd man in rule put in to prevent bench clearing brawls
 1992 – Instigator rule put in: added 2 min minor penalty
 Fighting peaked in the 1980’s at around 1 fight per game
average
 Last few years around .45 per game average

3. Rule 46:
 46.1 Fighting – A fight shall be deemed to have occurred when at least one player
(or goalkeeper) punches or attempts to punch an opponent repeatedly or when two
players wrestle in such a manner as to make it difficult for the Linesmen to intervene
and separate the combatants. (major)
 46.2 Aggressor – The aggressor in an altercation shall be the player who continues
to throw punches in an attempt to inflict punishment on his opponent who is in a
defenseless position or who is an unwilling combatant. (major + game)
 46.11 Instigator - An instigator of an altercation shall be a player who by his actions
or demeanor demonstrates any/some of the following criteria: distance traveled;
gloves off first; first punch thrown; menacing attitude or posture; verbal instigation or
threats. (minor, major, 10 min misconduct)
 Aggressor + Instigator (minor, major, 10 min misconduct, game)
 46.16 Third Man In - A game misconduct penalty, at the discretion of the Referee,
shall be imposed on any player who is the first to intervene (third man in) in an
altercation already in progress except when a match penalty is being imposed in the
original altercation. This penalty is in addition to any other penalties incurred in the
same incident.

4. Fighting is usually performed by one or more enforcers, or "goons"—players
whose role it is to fight and intimidate—on a given team and is governed by
a complex system of unwritten rules that players, coaches, officials, and
the media refer to as "the Code"

5. Different perspectives from hockey
celebrities:
 NHL Commissioner Gary
Bettman: "I think sometimes
(the George Parros or Colton
Orr concussion, and Ray Emery
goalie fight) inciden(ces), as
rare as it might be, tends to
get focused on
disproportionately”

6. Hall of Famer Bobby Orr: "It's a
different world today. Things are
changing. That new fan we're trying
to attract, they don't want violence.
… [But] that fear of getting beat up
is a great deterrent."
Former Leaf’s GM Brian Burke:
"The fact of the matter is I think
this game is safer with fighting
in it. The amount of fighting in
the game has been reduced
dramatically, and that's a good
thing. It's not going to go up, but
I think it's a central part of
player safety."

7. San Jose Sharks GM Doug Wilson: "When
the fighting doesn't exist, it's a very
physical game and there are times
when you have to step up and let the
other team know that nobody's going to
take liberties with your best players.
I don't see fighting going away."
 Anaheim Ducks coach
Bruce Boudreau:
“…hockey culture needs
that. If Sidney Crosby
takes a dirty hit, a
Penguins teammate is
likely to take action.
Even if it's illegal,
fighting may be the way
to settle the score.”

8. Don Cherry opinions:
http://goo.gl/Wnk49D
http://goo.gl/XTTyHw

9. Pros:
 Protects the respect to star players, keeps them healthy:
Gretzky and Semenko, McSorley
 Keeps other team in check – opposing team will back off,
easing the tension
 Reduces injuries from stick work and cheap elbow and head
shots
 Creates sense of solidarity among teammates
 Enforcers mostly isolate the fighting between themselves
 Fighting hardly exists during the playoffs when it matters
most

10. Cons:
 Concussions can lead to retirement, and worst of all
brain damage
 Deaths from head hitting ice in minor league incidences
 Teaches violence to youth
 Fighting the worst in exhibition play

11. Why is it relevant to YOU?
 Marketing repercussions: remove
fighting – sells less jerseys – Tie Domi,
Dave Schultz
 Wendel Clark & Cam Neely: jerseys
sell well because their names are
marketable to both audiences
 NHL14 videogame now has more
realistic fights than ever: player in
penalty box with black eye.
 Brand image: missing teeth, black eye

12. What is my opinion?
 Rule 46 fails to protect the star players
 Get rid of “3rd man-in” rule and “Instigator” rule
 Make harsher penalties to aggressors, but not to
enforcers who both choose to fight

13. Why do I feel this way?
 The NHL averaged twice as many fights during Gretzky's prime with the Edmonton
Oilers than it did during the 1970s. (Wikipedia) Gretzky shone during this period
with protection BEFORE the instigator rule!
 Fighting has reduced in last 30 years not because of changes to Rule 46, but
because:
1. there’s more $$ at stake with NHL.
2. because players are more skilled and competitive today than in the past
3. because team strategy systems are in place more today than in the past
 Equipment safety is a bigger problem = concussions: differences then and now
 Re-introduce softer elbow and shoulder pads to reduce concussions

14. Biggest learning takeaway from
this topic:
 Crowds at games come for many different reasons
 Fighting is one of the many positive elements of the
game: in addition to toughness, there’s star players,
skill, speed, music, video screens etc.
 Like a newspaper: has many different sections to appeal
to different targets
 Remove fighting and you remove a key weapon out of
your arsenal

15. What should YOU takeaway from
this?:
 Other sports having violence causing
injury: UFC, WWE, boxing, football,
rugby, lacrosse
 Other “non-contact” sports with
roughness: basketball, baseball
 Other sports causing death: skiing,
rodeos, car racing
 Understand both sides to the issue. Don’t
judge before you know the facts.
 Marketing NHL in the U.S. is challenging
because of the youth lifestyle and
climate, not fighting.

16. How could it affect your future
careers?
 Know the facts if you’re marketing NHL: there are pros
and cons to the issue, but it is a necessary element of
the game.
 Focus on the new strategies marketing NHL:
game/event itself, not the stars: i.e. Winter Classic

17. Positive marketing trends in NHL
 Winter classic expansions
 Rogers 5.2 billion 12-year deal for “Hockey night in
Canada” from CBC after 61 years
 NBC 2 billion 10-year deal in U.S.
 NHL revealed, 24/7 documentaries

18. References:
 http://www.nhl.com/ice/page.htm?id=26336
 http://goo.gl/kS2BtM
 http://goo.gl/lwLloN
 http://goo.gl/HHluBZ
 http://www.hockeyfights.com/stats/
 http://goo.gl/kXXau5
 http://goo.gl/oraXYX
 http://goo.gl/2xtlev
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lC-BRpvpT-g
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkr1yHOpoeg
 http://goo.gl/AtVqcz
 Jeff Hicks interview: former Kitchener Rangers OHL writer for “The Record”
newspaper