jeff (02/03/83)
In Wes Ague's news article entitled "Hockey Playing Computer Scientists" he stated that he liked hockey, and not violence. This reminded me of a discussion I had recently in which I was asked why hockey was the only team sport in which players did not automatically get kicked out of the game for fighting. It was suggested that fans come to see the fights, and that fights are necessary to sell tickets. I said that this was ridiculous, since I find the fights extremely boring. I said that if people want to see a fight, they'll watch boxing, or even wrestling. But I can't imagine anybody preferring fights to the excitement of a good hockey game. Perhaps some of the team owners that know very little about the game believe in the theory that fights sell tickets, but I know I would enjoy the game more if they were eliminated. What I would really like to know is what the fans think of this, mainly American fans, especially those in cities that are fairly new to the NHL. Please include where you are from in your replies.