“Opportunity doesn’t make appointments, you have to be ready when it arrives.” When it comes to the sport of hockey, opportunity means everything. Whether it 's a forward, defenseman, or goaltender, one must be prepared when given a chance. When a player gets a chance, more often than not, the player wants to score a goal or make a big save to preserve the win. There are other players looking to do something different though, players that want to provide a spark using fists, these players are known as fighters. Fighting has been around since the rules of the sport were first invented in the 1800s. Fighting is an important part of ice hockey because players make careers out of it, fans show up to watch it, and fighting is a momentum shifter.
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Doug was always an avid hockey fan, but he took a different route instead, the route was boxing. Doug was a star heavyweight boxer up until the age of 19, when the encouragement came from friend, Adam Frattasio, to attempt hockey fighting (Rothbart). Adam was a star hockey player, but his 5 foot 6 inch frame really hurt him on the ice. “Adam was feisty on the ice, but was pushed around often and unable to stand up for himself, He would tell me Doug, if you could just learn how to skate, you could probably make some noise (Smith).” Doug was playing in a summer league game for fun and got a call from the Carolina Thunderbirds of the ACHL to be the fighter of there team. He didn’t make the team at first, but kept training and got invited to play with the team after a mere two months (Rothbart). Doug went on to play 10 seasons of pro hockey and even made it to the AHL which is a step below the NHL. When asked about fighting in hockey today Doug commented saying absolutely fighting should remain in the sport. “ I am living proof that a guy can make a career out of this, More players, especially the skilled guys like Crosby and the top tier players are all out because of body contact and NOT FIGHTING.So the NHL needs to take a look at the equipment for starters and the rules on how to body check an opponent without causing injuries before they just point the finger at fighting and ruin the game by banning it (Cliff).” More players also made careers protecting star players on the team. A perfect example of this is the Flyers Dave ‘The Hammer’ Schultz. In the early 1970s, the flyers had a star hockey player by the name of Bobby Clarke. Clarke is arguably one of the best players to play the game, and the Flyers could not afford to let their star player get injured. The management, led by Ed Snider, decided to bring in a player that could protect their prized possession. “Hammer made a lot of
Doug was always an avid hockey fan, but he took a different route instead, the route was boxing. Doug was a star heavyweight boxer up until the age of 19, when the encouragement came from friend, Adam Frattasio, to attempt hockey fighting (Rothbart). Adam was a star hockey player, but his 5 foot 6 inch frame really hurt him on the ice. “Adam was feisty on the ice, but was pushed around often and unable to stand up for himself, He would tell me Doug, if you could just learn how to skate, you could probably make some noise (Smith).” Doug was playing in a summer league game for fun and got a call from the Carolina Thunderbirds of the ACHL to be the fighter of there team. He didn’t make the team at first, but kept training and got invited to play with the team after a mere two months (Rothbart). Doug went on to play 10 seasons of pro hockey and even made it to the AHL which is a step below the NHL. When asked about fighting in hockey today Doug commented saying absolutely fighting should remain in the sport. “ I am living proof that a guy can make a career out of this, More players, especially the skilled guys like Crosby and the top tier players are all out because of body contact and NOT FIGHTING.So the NHL needs to take a look at the equipment for starters and the rules on how to body check an opponent without causing injuries before they just point the finger at fighting and ruin the game by banning it (Cliff).” More players also made careers protecting star players on the team. A perfect example of this is the Flyers Dave ‘The Hammer’ Schultz. In the early 1970s, the flyers had a star hockey player by the name of Bobby Clarke. Clarke is arguably one of the best players to play the game, and the Flyers could not afford to let their star player get injured. The management, led by Ed Snider, decided to bring in a player that could protect their prized possession. “Hammer made a lot of