Olympics prove hockey fights not needed

To me, the main lesson to be learned from the Sochi Olympics is that hockey is a great game that has no need for fighting. NHL hockey is an embarrassment that does not deserve to be called “our national game.”

What other world-class sport allows, even encourages, players to stop the game to assault other players and start a brawl. Of course it’s a rough game, but the assumption that fighting is a necessary part belongs to a bygone era.

It’s time to retire the rock’em sock’em attitude and its aged proponents. The culture of fighting is passed down to the junior leagues even if it’s not allowed. What sort of lesson is this for our kids — if you can’t beat your opponent by skating and scoring, let go your anger and beat him up. Hockey should be a great game.

It’s about speed, skating, skill and scoring. Fighting needs to have no part of the game and it can be removed easily by adjusting the penalty structure. Let’s learn this lesson from the Olympics.

David Nicol
Greater Sudbury