Hockey fights are very good reasons to watch
hockey. The
sport has gained
infamy as the most
violent popular
sport in
North America right now. In addition to violent
checking against the
boards, players frequently
brawl. These are usually
one-on-one affairs, however, sometimes the entire team joins in. Sometimes the
goalies skate over to
center ice and start
fighting.
Hockey teams today often have a few players that have mediocre hockey skills compared to the rest of the team, but are good at inciting fights and injuring other players. These enforcers include Tie Domi, Rob Ray, Paul Laus, Donald Brashear and the infamous Marty McSorley. Some of these players' sole purpose is to dish out as much damage as possible, preferably to the other team's best players.
When a hockey fight begins, the two offended players take off their gloves and take off their helmets. They then proceed to pound at each other with their fists, grabbing each other's jerseys to get better punches in. The result of this is ultimately a 5 minute major penalty for fighting, but sometimes they get ejected from the game or suspended for inciting too many fights. Sometimes, other players start to brawl, and the goalies join in. A baseball-style full out brawl is rare, but they are very cool to watch.