Ryan Reaves says the league is trying to get rid of fighting also shares his thoughts on why fighting after hits is important

With recent news of the QMJHL banning fighting and recent calls for more instigator penalties being called for fights, specifically after big hits, Ryan Reaves was interviewed to give his thoughts on the changing landscape of fighting in hockey.

Being the most feared enforcer in the league, Reaves obviously took a stance arguing the merits of fighting and against further penalties for doing so. He argued for the protection that an enforcer brings to star players when fighting is legal, especially as a response when the other team takes liberties on those star players.


Serving that purpose of protection, Reaves argued against more frequent instigator penalties prior to fights. Not only that, but with hockey being the one sport where personal scores can be settled with fists, calling instant or penalties would take the spontaneity and authenticity out of fights.


The league will likely move to eventually eliminate fighting at some point in the future, and rationally, it's the right decision. The effects on the brain from repeated traumas to the head just are not worth the spectacle of an in-game fight. As long as we can, as hockey fans, we should cherish two willing combatants having a fight - it may not last forever.