Fighting’s Skill Increase
Willes: NHL hockey fights are on the rise in this post-lockout world
Things, however, get a lot more interesting when you look behind the numbers at who’s doing the fighting. The three-minutes-a-game fighting specialist is still around, but more and more he’s been marginalized. The new-age goon is someone who can take a regular shift while contributing something other than knuckles to the greater good. Columbus’s Jared Boll leads the NHL with seven fighting majors. He also averages 7:42 of ice time a game. His teammate Derek Dorsett has five majors thus far, plays 16:52 a game and is coming off a Gordie Howe hat trick against the Red Wings on Thursday night. Tampa’s B.J. Crombeen has six fights and plays 9:20 per game. Montreal’s Brandon Prust also has six fights and plays 12:43 per game.
