Exactly. A big hit can change the momentum just as well as a fight. If fighting is eliminated a roster spot can be opened up for another player with some actual skill. Brandon Bollig type players would no longer be in the league which is fantastic.
There's no need for fighting. Without it, hockey is still the most physical sport other than maybe rugby. If the NHL is really worried about player safety they'll get rid of pointless fighting.
As far as was Gunz said about protecting star players....that can be done without a fight. Yes, a fight sends a message to back off. But being purely physical will do the same thing. The Bruins, for example, are an extremely physical team. No doubt they got into fights during the regular season, but they didn't need to.
On top of this fighting in the NHL has been on a decline for quite a few years now. If it's so intrinsically important to the sport and serves such an important purpose why isn't the NHL folding or seeing dips in production, attendance, popularity etc? Why does it disappear in the playoffs for the most part? If it's so important why during the most important time of the year does it go the way of the dodo?
People can't sit here and argue fighting is so important to hockey then have the Olympics ban it, Euro leagues ban it, colleges basically ban it, and watch NHL popularity and financial well being rise as fighting actually trends downward.
If you want to say you like fighting because you like watching two guys punch eachother in the face and get off from it, fine just say it. But don't defend it with this illogical "importance to the game angle" when every logical reason shows it's really not.
