Contrary to popular belief, the number of fights in the NHL is stable, rather than decreasing. This makes some stakeholders in the hockey world fear that Quebec players will have even more difficulty being recruited into the big league with the regulations banning fighting in the QMJHL.
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This season in the Bettman circuit, 118 battles have broken out in the 478 matches played so far (excluding those on Tuesday night). This is therefore a rate of 0.247 battles per encounter.
Over an entire season, we are therefore talking about 324 battles.
That’s virtually identical to last season, when 334 fights occurred, for a very similar rate of .254 per game.
A year earlier, the numbers were once again roughly the same, with 331 fights (0.252 per game).
One more question
Getty Images via AFP
Before the season, the QMJHL chose to stop the fights as much as possible by ejecting the pugilists involved and imposing a one-match suspension on the instigator, or any player involved in a second fight.
Obviously, the desired deterrent effect is bearing fruit. The QMJHL was the scene of only 15 battles, compared to 120 in the Ontario League and 147 in the WHL.
Agreeing to testify without being identified, a Quebec agent for NHL players assures Newspaper that QMJHL players come out on the losing end when it comes time to be evaluated by scouts.
“You must not be hypocritical. No one is going to want to say it, but it’s another layer that adds to the perception compared to the guys in the QMJHL. There is already an unfavorable prejudice against the QMJHL and you are adding to it. No one’s going to talk to you about it, but give a couple of scouts two beers and they’ll chat. It creates an additional level of questioning for them, that’s guaranteed,” confides this agent.
The QMJHL apart
Before the new regulations, fights in the QMJHL had already been in sharp decline for several years. Last season, 87 fights took place, compared to 234 in Ontario and 284 in the West.
The agent consulted for the purposes of this report says he agrees with the reduction in fights, but believes that all leagues should dance on the same footing.
“The National League needs to know how a player will react in a situation where someone is going to double-check his best teammate in the face. There is an element of robustness that is not likely to disappear. In a contact sport, inevitably, there is an intimidation factor. You want to know if the players are afraid,” he pleads.
The happy commissioner
QMJHL Commissioner Mario Cecchini.
Photo Marcel Tremblay / QMI Agency
The commissioner of the QMJHL, Mario Cecchini, does not at all share the vision according to which the players in his circuit are at a disadvantage.
“I dare to hope that this is not an issue on the NHL side. The guys in Europe don’t fight, nor the guys in the NCAA, and that doesn’t stop them from being drafted.
“Do some people have prejudices? Absolutely! Scouts are human beings who comply with the demands of their team. I try to speak to as many hockey players as possible and believing that the abolition of fights harms our players is a minority opinion,” he argues in an interview with the Newspaper.
In his eyes, the players themselves feel better without the pressure of fighting, even if they don’t shout it from the rooftops.
“I was at the QMJHL Cup in Châteauguay last Friday evening and I had to speak to 150 parents of the players who made up our teams. They all told me that the young people are very happy. THE kids will not say it and I do not blame them for not wanting to talk about it officially, but there is not one of them who is disappointed,” he assures.
The commissioner also adds that for the moment, the other leagues are not in concrete discussions with him to also abolish fighting.
“I know it tickles the leagues. I know the world is watching. The birds of doom said that the suspensions would increase with pig beatings since there would be no more fights. The truth is that we have fewer suspensions than last year, if we remove the automatic suspensions due to fights,” he says.
Not a problem
The Devils scout, André Savard, assures for his part that in his brotherhood, the question of fights is not on the agenda when the time comes to take stock of a player.
“What we look at above all is talent, work ethic and consistency. You see if the player improves. The fact that there is no fight is not a problem. If the guy works and is not afraid to play in traffic to produce, he has what it takes,” he explains.
SOME OBSERVATIONS ON FIGHTS
- In the NHL, the seven clubs that have been least involved in fighting this season are the Avalanche, Islanders, Hurricanes, Devils, Penguins, Red Wings and Blues, with four each. If the playoffs started today, the Avalanche, Islanders and Hurricanes would be in the tournament.
- Conversely, the Predators (14), Wild (12), Lightning (11), Senators (11), Ducks (11), Jets (10), Canucks (10) and Flyers ( 10) are the teams that have thrown down the gloves at least 10 times. Four of them (Predators, Jets, Canucks and Flyers) would be playoffs.
- All the division leaders, namely the Bruins (6), Rangers (7), Stars (5) and Golden Knights (6) are among the teams with the fewest fights.
- The Canadian is in the middle of the pack with nine fights to his name.
- The QMJHL went from a seven-game battle last year to approximately a 20-game battle this season. According to commissioner Mario Cecchini, the number of spectators increased by 4%, with 14 teams which were stable or increasing.