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LAKESIDE…. As you might know, on opening night of this 2013-14 season, the Toronto Maple Leafs were in Montreal to take on the Canadiens. As is usually the case when these two clubs meet, especially if it is early in the season, there were multiple skirmishes. In the final bout of the night the Leafs Colton Orr and the Habs George Parros met in the Super Heavyweight division. These two have met a few times in their careers, so this was not a new experience for either. In a match between the two back in January of 2011 Orr was injured from a fall during the bout when the end result was his face hitting the ice giving him a serious concussion.

This time the tables turned. Toward the end of the match, with Orr falling to the ice, he still had Parros by the jersey and as he fell pulled Parros to the ice with him. Parros hit the ice mostly chin first and appeared to be momentarily unconscious. His chin was also badly cut and he was bleeding profusely. Even Orr realized that Big George was in trouble and began waving to the Hab bench for medical help immediately. The huge Bell Centre went silent as the fans quickly realized the gravity of the situation. The optics of the results of the battle were not for the faint of heart either. Parros was on the ice for some time and for safety’s sake, he was removed from the playing surface via stretcher.

He was taken to a hospital for a checkup and overnight observation, and to get his chin attended to. As there were many adults in the pro-Habs audience who were shaken by the visuals of the event, I can’t imagine what some of the kids in attendance must have thought. As is usually the case when something of this magnitude happens in the best and biggest league in the hockey world, the debate kicked in at warp speed the moment the game was over. The question and topic are timeworn and will be out of the current news cycle soon at which point the NHL will go back to business as usual. Is it time for fighting to be removed from the game?

I have never seen the game without it except in amateur hockey, college and international events. But in professional hockey in North America, it is as ensconced within the game as taped sticks and hot cocoa. It is a strange, macho phenomena that has brought both excitement to the game as well as the eternal consternation of it’s opposition versus the adamant stance of those who wish it to remain in the game. For me, when I saw fights that were spontaneously borne out of the heat of a great game, sometimes with a lot on the line, that was exciting. I’ll be honest enough to admit that.

But with increased knowledge of it’s effects on the players and with newfound prominence of the game, both on TV and in arenas in the United States, I must say that it is time to rethink this matter.

I’m not a squeamish sort. If you knew my history, you wouldn’t associate that word with me, like ever. I just think it is time for a radical change as to how fighting is viewed by pro hockey. We all know that players are bigger, better, faster, stronger etc, we also know that almost every team employs at least one player whose sole job is to “protect” those who aren’t big and tough from those who are. Those players would not make a pro roster if not for their fistic ability. We also know now, more then ever before, that the effects of what these guys do are not good and they can last a lifetime.

Additionally, we know that in the very recent past that 3 “enforcers” took their own lives, more then likely as a result of trauma suffered from their profession. So. Are we going to grow up, get intellectual and change the game in the manner it needs to be? Or are we going to stay Neanderthal in our approach to this?

I’m going to think out loud here friends. First, the 4 minute a game player has to go. We know why they are there and it is time for them to be out. I have nothing against a couple of “real” players getting into a spontaneous tussle in the heat of battle. I am not against that in the game, but if you go, you are done for the remainder of that game. And if there are extra shenanigans, you’re gone for the next one as well. Staged fighting will be eliminated too. No more two guys exchanging fight invites during a faceoff lineup, and then dropping the mitts for who knows why. If guys fight during the game, allow the game clock to continue running. If they go during a stoppage in play, start the clock up.

Folks, I’ve seen John Ferguson, Gordie Howe, Goldy Goldthorpe, Jack Carlson, Al Secord, Bob Probert, the Broad Street Bullies, and scores more fight, and I saw them do it in person. I’ll say that it was entertaining, exciting even. And I know how it can jack up a team at a crucial moment. But now, we also know the truth.  We know what it does to these guys who we think are invincible. They’re not. It is time for the game to change and it is time for the fans to change too. If you are just a fan because you like the fights, guess what; you aren’t really a fan. The game doesn’t need you and will survive without you.

One of the worst clichés I have heard in all of the ensuing frenzy is that fighting is such an intrinsic part of game and culture that it will take a long time to get it out. No it won’t. All it will take is for Gary Bettman to get on a conference call with all the GM’s and Governors and say, boy’s, we are going to make some radical changes to the rules about fighting in the game and I am expecting a 30-0 vote in support of it, and all of your old worn out rationalizations about it won’t hold water anymore. If you have any questions, please call the parents of Derek Boogard. Ok, Lets vote… PEACE

Marc Elliott is a free lance sports opinion writer who splits time between his hometown in Illinois and Minnesota.