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No simple explanation for drop in fighting

By DAMIAN CRISTODERO

© St. Petersburg Times, published November 21, 2000

DALLAS -- Hockey never will be called a polite game, but it seems players are more willing to settle differences with a shove than a good right cross.

Before three fights broke out in the Lightning's two games before Monday night's against the Stars at Reunion Arena, Tampa Bay had gone 11 games without fisticuffs.

And that first confrontation -- defenseman Bryan Muir wrestling with Denis Pedersen of the Canucks in the second game of the season -- isn't going into the archives at ESPN Classic.

"You just don't see much of it anymore," defenseman Cory Sarich said.

What you see is a lot of posturing and chirping between players. Push might even come to shove, but many times that is as far as it goes.

That is not necessarily a bad thing. Hockey can be plenty entertaining when played at a high level, and certainly no one wants to see anyone get hurt.

Then again, a good fight not only can give fans a lift -- the roar was deafening in Montreal when Tampa Bay forward Steve Martins fought Francis Bouillon -- it also can give the teams a shot of adrenaline.

And as Sunshine Network analyst Bobby "The Chief" Taylor said, "I have yet to see anyone cover their eyes and turn away from one."

Why aren't players dropping the gloves? The question is interesting, the answer complex.

Some reasons are specific to the NHL, which for years has been trying to put forth a more wholesome image, and last season fighting dropped to a 20-year low. Some are specific to the Lightning.

First and foremost is the NHL's instigator rule, which gives an extra two-minute penalty to the player who starts a fight. That has lessened the need for the classic enforcer, who did little on the ice besides intimidate, protect the goal-scorers and right the wrongs perpetrated against teammates.

But more subtle forces are at work.

Sarich said the increased number of penalties being called for stick infractions and obstruction has made special teams more important. When killing penalties, you don't want to take another one. When you are on the power play, you don't want to negate it.

Special teams play also has limited the time set lines face each other.

"Those five-on-five situations where you develop those big skirmishes are just not as common," Sarich said.

Taylor said linesmen are quicker to step between players before punches are thrown.

"The Six Day War in the Middle East would have been a two-day war if they had NHL linesmen," he said.

Taylor knows a little bit about physical play. A backup goaltender in the mid '70s for a version of the Flyers known as the Broad Street Bullies, he has seen his share of mayhem.

Beyond the brawls, though, the Flyers took the body with a resounding crash. That has not been the Lightning's MO, at least not consistently, and especially early in the season.

But as the team has grown more confident this month, the body work has increased. And as the body work has increased, so has the surliness.

When Sarich threw a clean but solid check Friday night at Toronto's Darcy Tucker, Tucker immediately went after Sarich and started a fight. Wayne Primeau's go with Toronto's Bryan McCabe also was the result of a battle for the puck.

"Our focus has been there," Sarich said. "We're bearing down and trying to win. We're banging guys and hitting guys, and that gets people worked up."

Expect some boards to rattle when resident body-thumper Gordie Dwyer, who never met a confrontation he didn't like, returns from his 23-game suspension Monday against the Islanders.

"I hit," Dwyer said, "and s--- always seems to happen."

It will be interesting to see how he handles it.

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