by: Alex Connor

Fighting has always been a part of hockey, as it draws fans to the game, but in the NHL playoffs this season it has been nothing but cheap shots and fights. There have been several brawls this post season in nearly every series. One Central High School student said that he likes to see a good hockey fight, however there has been too much fighting this postseason and it’s making the NHL less attractive and more boring. On top of all the fighting there have been several cheap shots in these playoffs, leading to multiple fines and suspensions.

The worst of the playoffs, so far, came from the Coyotes versus Blackhawks series when Raffi Torres, of the Coyotes, hit Marian Hossa, of the Blackhawks. Torres left his feet to hit Hossa who didn’t even have the puck, and Hossa would end up leaving the game on a stretcher. Torres’s hit landed him a twenty-five game suspension.

The Torres hit was the worst of the playoffs but it wasn’t the first. In the Predators versus Red wings series a Predators player grabbed the back of a Red Wing’s player’s head and slammed it into the glass, however that only received a fine. There have been several cheap shots this postseason but by far the most chippy series has been the Penguins versus Flyers series, where it seemed like there was a scrum after every whistle.

With all the fighting this postseason it has brought up the question of whether there should be fighting allowed in the NHL. On that, the debate may rage, but it’s likely that fighting will continue.