Todd Fedoruk Isn't Good At Fighting
The over-sensitive anti-NHL brigade is in full force again after Colton Orr knocked Todd Fedoruk out with one clean punch, as you can see above. Fedoruk's season might now be over, and, as has been the case a few times this season already, those soapbox climbers are using it as a reason to call for the head of the NHL. Please.
Listen, you cannot take the fighting out of hockey. Fighters are as much a part of the game as relief pitchers are in baseball -- they have a singular role which benefits their team. A fighter can provide his team with a moral boost in tight spots and also ensures that his team's less ferocious players remain safe. They're a necessity, and downright fun.
Most people equate fighting in hockey with brawls in baseball or basketball, but that's not the case. In hockey, players don't just get jumped (unless you're Steve Moore). When two players fight, an agreement is made before the gloves are dropped. The two will eye each other up, give a nod knowing the circumstances, and engage in a fair toe-to-toe fight. There's no cheap shots, and the refs are standing nearby to intervene when the fight (usually all of 30 seconds) has run its course. So Fedoruk totally know what he was getting into, and he agreed to it anyway. Which probably wasn't a good choice, seeing as how this is the second time this year he's been dropped by a punch, as you can see below. Talk about a glass jaw.
