Dropping the mitts. Chuckin’ knucks. Getting into a donnybrook.
All of it means the same in the hockey world — fighting.
Hockey is one of the only professional sports that allows fighting to occur in its games, and the only one out of the four major North American competitions. While players in baseball, basketball or football can face serious repercussions for throwing a punch, that’s not the case on the ice.
Fighting has been a constant in the NHL since the sport began in the 1800s. While the number of altercations has decreased over the years, fighting is still a part of the modern game.
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But why exactly is fighting allowed in hockey? The Sporting News explains.
Why is fighting allowed in hockey?
Fighting in hockey is “allowed” the same way that tripping, hooking, interference or roughing is allowed. It can occur, but you are going to be penalized for it.
The difference between hockey and other professional sports is that fighting does not result in an immediate ejection. If a punch is thrown in a baseball or basketball game, that player would likely be disqualified from the match.
However, in hockey, a player that engages in a fight receives a five-minute major.
Why do referees let hockey players fight?
Because it is allowed within the rules, officials will let two players go at it.
You don’t see officials breaking up fights in the NHL until it’s over, one player drops the other, they wrestle to the ice, or if it goes on long enough that the two tire themselves out.
Fighting is seen as a way for players to police themselves. Rather than letting the officials dictate what is legal or illegal, a team may respond by fighting if they do not agree with the actions of an opposing player.
Fights can occur after a dangerous hit, or if a skirmish escalates to the point where gloves are dropped. Sometimes, a team will simply engage in a fight in order to change the momentum of the game.
Fighting rules in hockey
Here’s how fighting is deemed in the NHL’s rule book. There are some restrictions that players must abide by according to rule 46 in the league’s rulebook.
Here are a few:
Instigator
More often than not, when a fight occurs in a hockey game, it’s a mutual agreement between the two parties involved. Either the participants have already agreed verbally to fight, or the tossing of the gloves is enough of a warning that a fight is about to break out.
However, if a player engages in a fight with another player that does not appear willing, then the aggressor is also assessed a two-minute instigating minor penalty, on top of the fighting major. The player is also given a 10-minute misconduct, lengthening the time spent in the box.
The instigator ruling falls under Rule 46.11:
An instigator of an altercation shall be a player who by his actions or demeanor demonstrates any/some of the following criteria: distance traveled; gloves off first; first punch thrown; menacing attitude or posture; verbal instigation or threats; conduct in retaliation to a prior game (or season) incident; obvious retribution for a previous incident in the game or season.
Third Man In
The third man in is rare to see in today’s NHL.
The third man in rule is a way to prohibit multiple players from one team attacking one opposing player. If the officials feel that another player intervenes in an altercation that has already started between two players, then they can give that player a game misconduct.
Here is Rule 46.16 in the NHL rulebook on the third man in:
A game misconduct penalty, at the discretion of the Referee, shall be imposed on any player who is the first to intervene (third man in) in an altercation already in progress except when a match penalty is being imposed in the original altercation. This penalty is in addition to any other penalties incurred in the same incident. This rule also applies to subsequent players who elect to intervene in the same or other altercations during the same stoppage of play.
Helmets
Back in the day, players used to be able to toss not just their gloves off, but also their helmets. Fighters would regularly remove their bucket in the moments before engaging in a tilt.
That is no longer allowed. If a player removes their helmet before a fight, then they are assessed an additional two-minute minor penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct. That change was made in 2013.
Players do not receive an additional penalty if their helmet comes off naturally as a result of the fight.
No player may remove his helmet prior to engaging in a fight. If he should do so, he shall be assessed a two minute minor penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct. Helmets that come off in the course of and resulting from the altercation will not result in a penalty to either player.