In recent years, several notable National Hockey League (NHL) “enforcers” have been diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) on post-mortem autopsies, demonstrating the potential long-term health consequences of fighting in hockey ( McKee et al., 2013 Prewitt, 2018).Īccording to the 2021 NHL rulebook, players who participate in a fight are reprimanded with a five-minute major penalty but are not ejected from the game.

However, leniency toward fighting in hockey can lead to a variety of injuries including concussions, oculofacial trauma and hand fractures ( Juhn et al., 2002 Kuhn and Solomon, 2015). Proponents also argue fighting has a role in regulating the tempo of the game and deterring other acts of violence on the ice ( Bernstein, 2006 Hardy and Holman, 2018). Historically, fighting has been considered a cornerstone of professional ice hockey with purported economic and entertainment value ( Haisken-DeNew and Vorrell, 2008). Ice hockey is a fast-paced, collision sport punctuated by interludes of fighting and is among the most popular sporting events in North America ( Mathewson, 2019). We conclude by suggesting that prohibiting fights in the NHL could improve player safety without negatively impacting fan attendance. Taken together, these findings suggest fans may prefer higher scoring and less violent competitions. Meanwhile, a significant inverse correlation was noted between goals per game and fights per game. A significant negative correlation exists between fan attendance and fights per game, casting doubt on fighting's entertainment value. A significant inverse correlation existed between goals per game and fights per game ( R = −0.521, p = 0.0222).Ĭonclusions: NHL fighting rates have diminished during the past two decades, while fan attendance has increased. There was a positive, but not significant correlation between attendance and goals per game ( R = 0.2457, p = 0.3105). A significant negative correlation was found between attendance and fights per game ( R = −0.6617, p = 0.0020). Results: Fights per game decreased from a peak of 0.64 in 2002 to a low of 0.18 in 2020, while average attendance increased from a low of 16,549 in 2004 to a peak of 17,768 in 2013, before settling between 17,400 and 17,500 during the final three seasons of the study period. Univariate analysis was used to evaluate relationships between attendance and fights, attendance and goals, as well as goals and fights. Methods: Two public databases were reviewed to determine attendance, fighting majors, goals scored, and games played for each NHL team from 2000 to 2020 and averaged on a per game basis. Hypothesis: Despite decreasing fighting rates, attendance has been stable and is negatively associated with fights per game. However, fights per game have diminished over the past 20 years, challenging the necessity of fighting to promote fan attendance. Fighting has remained legal in the National Hockey League (NHL) due to its purported economic and entertainment value.

2USA Hockey Team Physician and Member of the USA Hockey Safety and Protective Equipment Committee (SPEC), Colorado Springs, CO, United Statesīackground: Though once considered an integral part of professional hockey, fighting carries significant health risks to players.1Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York City, NY, United States.

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