9 People who shouldn't drop the gloves
NHL hockey is back in full force and alongside the league's most skilled players, a legion of pugilists have also been plying their trade of attempting to knock each other's teeth out. Recently, there have been strong debates made from both sides arguing both in favour and against having fighting remain in the game. One thing I think we can all agree is on is that the following 9 people definitely shouldn't be dropping the gloves.
SIDNEY CROSBY
While Hockeyfights.com has Sid the Kid officially listed as having 5 career fights on his record, those tilts came before the Penguins captain suffered a major concussion in the 2011 Winter Classic. Crosby has only played 63 games over the previous two NHL seasons, and I'm sure Penguins fans and management wouldn't mind it if someone else stepped up to fill Crosby's shoes the next time a dance partner comes calling.
FANS
From Mike Milbury venturing into the stands to the Flyers fan tumbling into the box with Tie Domi, NHL fans have had to learn the hard way that the enforcers are absolutely not meant to be messed with. If there is still any lingering doubt in your mind about this, Rob Ray is here to teach you a stern lesson.
PHIL KESSEL
46 years after the Franchise last won the Stanley Cup, the last thing the Toronto Maple Leafs need is more bad luck. Knowing Toronto, the moment Kessel drops the gloves for a fight will be the moment he breaks his hand on a 4th-liner's helmet and never regains his scoring touch. The Leafs still employ Colton Orr and Mike Brown, so they should be doing the brawling while Phil spends his time in the offensive end.
ALEX SEMIN
This is in no way a slight at Europen players or their style of play. It's just that nobody who fights like this should ever, ever, EVER be allowed to fight again.
TAYLOR HALL
“I was coming down the stairs, Ebby was coming the wrong way, and I was coming kind of hard and I bumped heads with them and I was bleeding,” Hall said. “I’ve got to go get stitches after this.”
I'd give him the benefit of the doubt, but I'm worried he'd slip while throwing his first punch and knock himself unconscious.
DAVE COULIER
The man who played Uncle Joey on Full House is a well-known hockey fan, who regularly participates in celebrity games and played varsity hockey at his Michigan high school. It would be a shame if he somehow hurt his hand and couldn't do the "Cut. It. Out." sign anymore. Gold.
TEEMU SELANNE
There's nothing wrong with Teemu's ability to fight, but anybody who finds themselves in the mood to tussle with the 42-year old Finnish Flash needs to re-think their priorities. The league's elderstatesman is to be respected and adored from a distance, not trifled with. According to hockeyfights.com, Selanne has one career fight, but I doubt he'll pick his 21st NHL season as the right time to pick up his second.
BASKETBALL PLAYERS
Basketball "fights" are generally just groups of very tall men asking other men to hold them back. Generally, nobody actually wants to throw a shot or get involved in any real way. Take it away, Carmelo Anthony.
In fact, maybe basketball players should avoid the ice altogether. Except for Manute Bol.
ILYA KOVALCHUK
Kovalchuk is undeniably one of the top talents in all of hockey, but the New Jersey Devils didn't sign him to a 15-year $100M contract for his fighting skills. Fifteen years is about three times longer than the entire career of most NHL enforcers. The last thing the Devils want is another decade and a half of a player who has eroded their skills from too many right hands to the bucket.
