NHL development league to ban fighting

Fighting has been part of the game of hockey since the sport began. No matter what level of hockey you've played at, you know that tempers flare and that sometimes boils over into a physical altercation. Over recent years, leagues have worked to limit fighting.

Now one major junior league has made the decision to ban fighting entirely. According to The Hockey News, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League plans to ratify a new rule this June that would ban fighting completely.

The QMJHL had previously cracked down on fighting by electing to attach a 10-minute misconduct to every fighting major. This was intended to try and deter players from dropping the gloves, but it hasn't been as successful as the league had hoped.

A spokesperson for the league provided the following clarification:

The league has yet to determine a punishment for fighting, but previous reports claim that punishments could include match penalties for both players involved. There could potentially be an exception clause, which would allow a player to defend themselves if any other player was considered to be an aggressive instigator.

The league has been rather quiet on the matter, but has not written off the idea of suspending players for dropping the gloves. This push by the QMJHL was pushed forward after a Liberal MP pushed for the league to ban fighting, but threatening to withhold funding from the league.

Hopefully this isn't the beginning of the end for fighting in hockey.

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