With the recent injuries players have been suffering due to injuries following fights, there has been talk about the place of fighting in the NHL.

I say keep it.

Why?

Players will take cheap shots at other players if they know nothing will happen. I couldn’t imagine that anyone took liberties with any Red Wings player when Bob Probert was on the ice, or with any Oilers player when Dave Semenko was on the ice, or Marty McSorley, or…you get the idea.

It seems though that some officials want the fighting issue to possibly go away. How do I know this?

Quite simply, there were some issues involving Daniel Carcillo in the third period where the game was way out of reach for the Phoenix Coyotes and the Dallas Stars were well on their way to shutting them out again.

Carcillo said something to Steve Ott and Carcillo was removed. Then, Josh Gratton took his place across from him near the face off circle. The referee removed Gratton as well and Ott stayed.

After the face off, the Stars cycle the puck and Ott was able to get a shot on the net. When the puck ended up behind the Coyotes net, Zbynek Michalek and Ott battled for the puck where Ott preceded to throw an elbow at Michalek’s head which connected.

Did anything happen? Only two minor penalties for Ott - two for elbowing and two for roughing. Note: the penalties that Ott earned would not have been called if he was removed from the ice along with Carcillo and Gratton.

Ott was able to take advantage of the situation because our tough guys left the ice because of official interference. We all know that Steve Ott is no angel and he had a role in the earlier transgressions to Carcillo and Gratton. What gets me is the complete disparity of calls the Coyotes receive and how the “elite” teams can take advantage.

All I want is a fair fight. With the past three games the Stars and Coyotes have played, the officials have played key roles and made a mockery of the game. If the officials see the ice and call it evenly for both sides, and the Coyotes still lose, I’m okay with that. What I am not okay with is when the officials clearly stack the deck and put the Coyotes at a disadvantage physically.

The incompetence of these zebras is completely pathetic and wrong; they take the joy of the sport right out of the fan.

Sure, we’re in last place. It’s okay to keep kicking us when we’re down.

We like it - it’s fun.

Original post by PB and software by Elliott Back

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