Detroit – There’s no question it created a buzz, in the arena and all over social media.
The fight between Moritz Seider and Boston’s Mark Kastelic on Nov. 29 at Boston’s TD Garden was a heavyweight battle that brought back delicious memories for those hockey fans yearning for just as many flying fists as exciting goals.
Kastelic won the fight, everybody agreed with that. But Seider won universal praise, also, for what he did, standing up for himself and the Wings, not backing down against one of the tougher players in the NHL, and landing some good, hard punches himself.
“I wouldn’t say it’s ideal to square up with a guy who probably has over 50 (fights) in his career,” Seider said. “I didn’t really have much of a choice and obviously you don’t want to back down.”
Part of the reason so many hockey fans were giddy about the entire incident was the fact that there simply aren’t that many fights in the NHL anymore.
After Tuesday’s games, there were 121 fights this season, according to HockeyFights.com – the bible for fight lovers – with 144 different fighters. Last season, there were 297 fights during the regular season, a continuing trend downward from previous seasons.
An average of more than 800 fights per season were common in the late 1990s through the early 2000s.
The Wings have had five fights this season, Seider’s scrap the most recent. They had nine all of last season.
Fighting isn’t a major part of the game anymore. It hasn’t been for a long time. But it’s important, say players and coaches, when used correctly, impactful in how can motivate or embolden a team. But speed and skill rule the sport these days.
“It’s hard to say,” said forward Patrick Kane, as to when he sensed fighting fade away. “When I first came into the league (2007), every team pretty much had their enforcer and they would match up and fight once a game. You knew some of these guys were just fighters and they weren’t good hockey players.
“When I came into the league, if you were out there against a third or fourth line, you could really take advantage of that mismatch. The depth and skill in lineups now is different. It’s not as big a mismatch. These guys can all skate and play.”
Most hockey people generally believe fighting started being phased out after the 2004-05 lockout. Speed and skill were emphasized with rule changes favoring that type of hockey, and the salary cap being instituted pushed out one-dimensional players who mostly just fought.
Getting rid of the “staged” fights that were happening, and occasionally still occur, was considered good for the sport by most coaches and players. Generally occurring at the start of games, or after faceoffs, few felt they were a positive or added anything to the game.
“There’s a need for it (fighting), but the actual staged part of it, I’m not a fan of that,” Red Wings coach Todd McLellan said. “I was never a fan of that. It’s entertaining, I guess, for people. But the overall policing of the game, that’s important.”
When McLellan began in pro hockey in the early 2000s, he remembers players like Bob Probert and Joe Kocur on the Wings, players who could fight but also brought other elements to the team. But most enforcers were strictly fighters and added little versatility.
“Every team had two or three of those types of players,” McLellan said. “They’re still in the league but they are really good players, as well.”
Physical players today can supply offense for their teams, check, skate, and are difficult to contain around the net. They can fight, if needed, but rarely need to do so.
“Once they kind of eliminated it 12 or 15 years ago, you could kind of see third- or fourth-line guys that were able to play,” Kane said. “They helped the team out, rather than just have a spot in the lineup for fighting.
“You look back at the ’80s or ’90s, those guys like Probert and Wendel Clark, they could play and fight. Then it became gimmicky. Guys would stage fights for really no point in the game.”
There’s no question a fight strategically done when a team is struggling or lifeless can revitalize it.
“It used to jack me up when a guy like Andrew Shaw or Brandon Bollig (in Chicago) would fight in front of the home crowd, and suddenly they’re pumping up the crowd,” Kane said. “The crowd gets into it and the bench does too.”
A team like the Wings, with a strong European influence on its rosters for many years, hasn’t had a true enforcer since Aaron Downey from 2007-09. Luke Witkowski and Jordin Tootoo had brief runs in the 2010s but they also had playing ability.
The way the game is played currently, the organization doesn’t believe it needs to roster a pure fighter.
“I don’t think we need a fighter on our team,” Seider said. “We just can’t back down from those things.”
Maybe it’s a coincidence, but the Wings are 9-2-2 since Seider’s fight. There’s a lot of factors that have contributed to the Wings’ skating to the top of the Atlantic Division. But did Seider’s fight invigorate the Wings?
“Mo’s a big, big strong guy, and he plays a physical game” said defenseman Ben Chiarot, one of the Wings capable of stepping into a fight. “He did a great job. It’s good for the guys, too, seeing one of our top guys do that.”
Red Wings at Hurricanes
▶ Faceoff: 7 p.m. Saturday, Lenovo Center, Raleigh, N.C.
▶ TV/radio: FDSN/97.1
▶ Notable: The Wings (22-13-3) take on Carolina (22-11-3) for the first time this season. … The winner takes over first place in the Eastern Conference, as both teams have 47 points. … Carolina is winless in three games (0-2-1). … Centers Sebastian Aho (32 points) and Seth Jarvis (19 goals) lead offensively.
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