The honourable brutality of Ice Hockey fights.

A common sight at Ice Hockey matches all over North America. Photo credit: USA Today.

In July, my girlfriend came over from Canada, and one of the nights we spent together we watched a movie about one of the most famous Canadian hockey players, Maurice Richard. One thing that I recall being shocked by was the amount of fighting that happens on the ice. Long story short, I started looking into it further and found that fighting in ice hockey is not only common, but also regulated by an unspoken set of rules that players follow commonly referred to as “The Code.”

I reached out to the New Zealand Ice Hockey Federation (NZIHF), and they very kindly answered some of my questions I had. To start with, in New Zealand as well as Europe, there is zero tolerance for fighting. Fighting will at best get you ejected from a game and at worse get you banned for a season. However, fighting on the ice is a North American phenomenon.

So why is it such common place in North America? The people I talked to in the NZIHF had a few theories behind it. Fights are popular with the crowds who watch the games, and the crowd’s enjoyment is what helps spur it along. Another reason fights are so common in North America is the lack of strict punishment. In North America, a player will typically only get five minutes in the penalty box for fighting, which isn’t a very strong deterrent. Especially compared to places in Europe or New Zealand where things are much stricter.

With fighting being common, it makes sense that there are protocols involved when engaging in fights, which is ironic considering that fighting officially is forbidden. This unofficial rule set, known as “The Code,” has created a sense of justice and order amongst players as well as the fans watching the game. Fighting is a way for the players to self-police the game, or act when officials miss something.

This unofficial rule set has meant that fighting, despite being brutal is also somehow chivalrous. One of the many rules of fighting in ice hockey is that both fighters must agree to fight, this usually occurs when players chuck their gloves on to the ice and approach one another. In North America, the game officials will let the fighters at one another and will stand back and watch, only intervening when the fight gets excessively brutal, or when a player is knocked to the ground.

Sucker punching, as well as attacking someone from behind, is considered dishonourable. Players are expected to look one another in the eye and approach the fight head on.

When a player is knocked onto the ice, that’s it, the fight is over. A player that continues a fight after their opponent is down could end up being the target of retribution from their opponents.

When starting a fight, players are also expected to take off armour that they are wearing such as helmets and visors as fighting with these on is considered unfair.

Starting a fight with someone who is smaller than you is also frowned upon. Players are expected to pick on someone their own size, or even bigger.

There are many other unofficial rules that players follow. The rules exist to create a fair and equal fight, and fights are frowned upon if there has been no breach of the rules or sportsmanship.

So why is fighting so common in ice hockey?

My contacts in the NZIHF both mentioned that ice hockey is a fast-paced, close quarters game that is physical even without the fights. The physicality of the sport is engrained in the culture of players and officials.

“In the past, many teams had players known as "enforcers," whose primary role was to protect their teammates and intimidate opponents through physical play, including fighting.”

In ice hockey, “most fights begin through a retaliation to something that may have happened on the ice, a heavy or unnecessary check or even a grudge from a previous game. Sticking up for a teammate is also a common cause. Often the players take it upon themselves to sort out issues in the game when the officials won't or don't.”

“Ice hockey has also become a much more skilled sport in the last few decades, with a greater emphasis on skill and speed. Teams are often more focused on winning through skilful play rather than through physical intimidation. As a result, the need for enforcers and frequent fights has diminished.”

The NZIHF hopes to see fighting in ice hockey becomes a thing of the past, with one of the people I talked to calling fighting on the ice, “a bad part of the great game... totally problematic, especially as we try to grow the game.” They went on to say when asked about whether or not they see brawls becoming a thing of the past, “Yes and the sooner the better!”