The sample remains small, but the QMJHL wins its bet on the issue of eliminating hostilities. A quarter of the season, the track has recorded fewer dirty shots than Last year attendance increased even as the number of fights on the ice fell dramatically.
As of Friday, there had been a total of five fights in 225 games, including the preseason. So that means we see a fight every 45 games, whereas this time last year we had two players throwing down the gloves every seven games.
However, 19 sanctions (including suspensions and fines) have been imposed for a total of 31 games since the start of the season, including three for players inciting a fight. Also at the same time last season, 22 suspensions were issued for a total of 44 games.
All of this in addition to the fact that the QMJHL is currently seeing a 4.4% increase in attendance compared to last year.
“The two main arguments I heard were that there would be more dirty tricks and that fewer people would come to our games [s’il n’y avait plus de bagarres]. I’ve always believed it was wrong and we’re now at 25% of our season and the numbers help illustrate that,” QMJHL commissioner Mario Cecchini said during a phone interview Friday.
Even though there are fewer fights, the number of dangerous hits in the QMJHL has not increased so far this season. Free photo / Quebec Remparts
Reaction to our file
The QMJHL commissioner also wanted to return to the report published last week by Le Journal, which aimed to examine the impact of the QMJHL’s decision on the rest of the world.
Among the speakers quoted, we spoke to people who are still pro-fighting in hockey, particularly Columbus Blue Jackets forward Mathieu Olivier, who claimed that 100% of NHL players are pro-fighting.
A statement that caused Mario Cecchini to frown.
“I think it might not be popular for players to say they’re against battles, but I can tell you it’s definitely not 100% of players who are for it. This is a bad read. I’ve spoken to many parents and former players and you can count on those who are in favor. The evidence, even Bobby Smith and Michel Bergeron, people who were once at the center of it all, supports its abolition. Society has evolved.”
In addition, the commissioner assures that those responsible for the National Hockey League (NHL) are “completely satisfied” with their decision.
“I recently met with the NHL people in New York and they have no problem with our rules. They understand that there is a difference between junior and professional hockey. We didn’t feel any reluctance on their part.”
What about the OHL and the WHL?
If the QMJHL is inclined at the moment to prove that the increase in dirty hits is not proportional to the decrease in fighting, there is still a long way to go to convince the other two Canadian leagues, the League of Ontario (OHL) and the Western Ontario (WHL) follows suit.
“Everyone is in observation mode at the moment. Will the other two leagues abolish fighting one day? Surely. For now, everyone will wait until we have a full season behind us. In any case, and I say this often, I think the majority of young people these days don’t want to do it anymore.”