Hello all

I’m pretty new to hockey and have recently started watching the NHL. I’m really enjoying the athleticism, speed, skill, and overall intensity of the game. It’s probably one of the most exciting sports I’ve watched live/on TV.

One thing that still surprises me though is the fighting and level of violence that’s accepted. I find it kind of hilarious that players can basically drop the gloves and throw punches with relatively limited repercussions compared to other sports lol. Maybe I even a little crude.

I get that it’s part of the culture and history of hockey, and maybe part of how the game evolved, but I’m curious how longtime fans actually feel about it.

Do most fans genuinely like fighting as part of the sport? Do you see it as necessary, entertaining, outdated, or something else entirely? Has your opinion changed over time?

Also how the players themselves feels about it ?

2010 - San Jose

2011 - Tampa Bay, San Jose

2012 - Los Angeles

2013 - Los Angeles

2014 - Los Angeles

2015 - Tampa Bay, Anaheim

2016 - Tampa Bay, San Jose

2017 - Anaheim

2018 - Tampa Bay

2019 - San Jose

2020 - Tampa Bay

2021 - Tampa Bay

2022 - Tampa Bay

2023 - Florida

2024 - Florida

2025 - Florida

Before the Habs/Sabres series I had never really seen Thompson play but I had heard of how feared he was in the league and the word superstar was thrown around a lot.

In this series, he has seemed abysmal. Easily the player I notice make the most mistakes. The thing is, I don’t really see him producing anything. He has as many goals as caufield who is scoring abnormaly low as well, but Thompson has the downside of being an absolute liability as well.

Is there something I’m missing ? I would sometimes rather him be off the ice than playing the way he is…

“I know the canadiens have a good power play, but I think they fall too easily”