In fighting's corner

I write to respond to Dave Krieger suggestion that hockey is becoming a "fringe" sport due to its "caveman mentality." Whether on the fringe or in the limelight, hockey teams have been competing for Lord Stanley's Cup since 1893, and fighting has been there every step of the way. Fighting is the great equalizer, forcing miscreants of every type (whether they be thugs or loudmouths) to put up or shut up. It's the purest form of dispute resolution in all of pro sport, and it's more effective than any rule or referee has ever been at compelling sportsmanship and fair play. If being a "major" sport requires tolerating the gutless and unsportsmanlike trash-talking, grandstanding and taunting that have become staples in the NBA and the NFL (players treating uncontested dunks and routine first downs like self-proclaimed coronations), then give me the fringe any day.

Steve Whitmore, Centennial