The Great Sport of Hockey

So I just got done reading an "article" written by Damien Cox on ESPN that outlines the topic of fighting in Hockey. I just want to start off by saying that Damien Cox needs to get a new job. Reading his take on Hockey makes me kind of ashamed that I actually listen to and follow ESPN. He is so misinformed and all of his articles have been equally terrible. With that being said, this particular article discussing fighting in Hockey is an argument that is brought up way more often than it should be.
Hockey has survived in it's original form since 1875, when the first documented game of Ice Hockey was played in Montreal, Canada. From the time of the first game up until the games taking place now, the one constant in Hockey has been fighting. The purpose of fighting is Hockey is simple to understand: Sticking up for your teammates. When a guy that is 6'2" takes a run at your best player who's 5'10", I'm pretty sure that the 5'10" guy isn't going to try to take on the bigger guy. That is where an enforcer does his job. I'm sure most people have heard the expression "pick on someone your own size," and that applies in Hockey. Most fights aren't one big guy and one little guy going at it. If someone picks on your guy, it is necessary to stick up for your teammate and show the other team that they can't mess with him.
When people try to compare the violence in Hockey to the hitting in other sports, it almost comes across as comical. So you take away fighting in Hockey. What will you do next, make Football two-hand touch? There are certain aspects of the game that cannot be changed. Hockey players have been fighting since before the NFL even came about. People aren't dying on the ice from fights, the purpose of a fight is to teach a guy a lesson like a real man. It's great when people say "Well in Basketball if you even throw a punch, you're out for 5 games, yet in Hockey it's pretty much encouraged that you fight." First of all, that is wrong. By allowing fighting to happen, that in no way is encouraging people to fight. It's simply giving grown men an option to settle their differences in a way that is fair to everyone. There are more brawls in Baseball then there are in Hockey, so why do we think that fighting is such a bad thing? It gives people a reason to not act inappropriately by having to create a brawl in order to get their point across.
When guys are caught up in the heat of the game and all of their emotions are running high, would you rather have a guy attempt to take out someone by hitting them with their stick or by engaging in a civilized fight that leaves a clear winner and loser? Fighting may look dangerous on the surface, and it definitely is dangerous, but without fighting, the only way that guys would be able to stand up for their teammates would be to commit more illegal and dirty hits. Everyone knows the risk of a fight going into it, so it's no surprise to anyone when someone gets their cheekbone shattered (warning: Pretty graphic video) or when both guys come out of a fight unscathed.
Looking at the otherside of the argument, I do see why some people disapprove of the fighting in Hockey. I know that mothers do not want their kids to watch a Hockey game, see Derek Boogaard beat up Todd Fedoruk, and have their kid try to emulate that during their Hockey game. For a person that doesn't know much about Hockey, it is reasonable for them to say that all fighting does is encourage violence and promote harm. But fighting in Hockey is much more than that. Grown men have the right to decide how they police themselves on the ice. Dirty hits are going to happen, cheap shots are going to take place, but without fighting, those will be the only ways to get back at someone. I know that revenge is something that is not taught to most young kids, but it's important that people don't just sit back and take crap from people when they don't have to. Fighting is an intrical part of Hockey and people need to learn to accept that. If you don't like the fighting, then stay out of the rink.