From the PowerScout Research Desk
Examining the Value of Fighting in the NHL
Posted by: Steven_Hindle Fri, 2012-01-06 00:30
76% of ALL fights in the NHL since 2009 result in at least one team gaining Momentum...
In a day and age where the NHL sits at the forefront of one of the most important debates in professional sports, one of the game's most basic elements is coming under serious fire.
With concussion protocols dominating the talk in all circles of professional contact sports, the NHL is in a precarious position as the rash of concussion injuries plaguing the game of hockey has begun to take its toll in the form of serious head injuries to some of its top stars.
Lost in the mix of this now ravenous debate is the origin of fighting and its meaning to the game of hockey.
Of course the act of fighting is what calls it in to the concussion debate in the first place, seeing as head shots are part and parcel of fighting in hockey, yet its inherent meaning to the game of hockey has seemingly been lost amidst a flurry of off-season tragedies and the uncertainty in regards to the root of the head shot problem.
In an attempt to join the debate and shed new light on whether or not fighting truly does bringing added value to the game of hockey, we here at PowerScout Hockey have been monitoring the impact of fighting in the NHL in relation to its impact on in-game Momentum on a week-by-week basis since the start of the 2011 season, collecting imperical data relevant to each and every fight in order to drive right to the bottom line about fighting's place in the game, or if it has one.
Beginning with Fighters Corner, where we examine the top 3-5 fights of the week (which had the greatest impact on in-game Momentum (positive or negative)), we have progressively refined our research to seek out an answer to the only important issue about fighting in the NHL; does it matter?
Dating back to the start of the 2009 season, researching a collective 1563 fights (as of December 21st, 2011), we at PowerScout Hockey have come upon a couple of very interesting preliminary findings;
· A fight INCREASES momentum from one or both teams 76% of the time, but in only 34% of fights does one or both teams LOSE momentum.
· A fight INCREASES momentum from both teams about 1 out of every 4 fights (23% of fights), but rarely do both teams LOSE momentum (only 4% of fights).
Though but a glimpse of what the raw data from analyzing over 1500 fights in the NHL is telling us, the truth is that even on a week-by-week basis, it's hard not to notice when a fight influences the direction of a game. With fights breaking out on the ice in rinks all across the league, it certainly doesn't seem like the league is hurting from its place within the game.
Fights help make or break the momentum of games. They also represent a very basic law of team sports, which is to defend your teammates.
Though a focal point of the concussion debate, fighting in the NHL, (or at least the impact from fights in NHL games) nearly three quarters of the time result in momentum swings, indicating that more often than not, fights not only dictate pace or break games wide open but can also provide as significant a shift in momentum as a goal sometimes can.
Of course the recent deaths of notable NHL pugilists have put the role of the Fighter under the microscope, yet before outlawing fighting in the NHL the numbers speak to the fact that the league should work hard to seek a compromise to keep this element in the game.
Fighting is as true to hockey as the puck or boards are, and while it can be just as harsh and mean as both of those other necessities, hockey has always found a way to work within its boundaries.
Though still early and with plenty of time to go before a well documented analysis of the impact of fighting and its place in the game can be properly conveyed, it's about time the NHL caught up to what its impeccable medical counterparts have been preaching, work to find an answer now before its a problem too big to handle.
With gentle giants like Bob Probert, Wade Belak, Aaron Boogard and Rick Rypien in our thoughts, the only thing we can do is continue to focus on finding the answers.
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