It may sound odd coming from a guy like John Scott, but apparently the big Sabres enforcer isn’t a huge fan of staged fights.
“The staged fighting, the fights that don’t really mean anything, I can do without those,” Scott told The Buffalo News today. “I know I’ve been in a few of those in my career, but there’s a time and place for every fight. Sometimes they don’t really matter. I can see where the league is coming from and the fans are coming from.”
The NHL tried to reduce staged fights back in 2009, with general managers proposing a 10-minute misconduct for players who drop their gloves immediately after a faceoff. The NHLPA blocked that proposal, however.
Those who believe staged fights should be treated no differently have argued that a tussle between two heavyweights can change the momentum of the game and/or provide energy to a team that’s in need of a boost.
Still others have argued that staged fights are just...kinda awesome.
Related: Turning tide? Yzerman wants game misconduct for fighting