Oilers and Flames rivalry shows why fighting should stay
On Wednesday night, the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames showed that a playoff-like atmosphere is one of the more exciting attributes to watch.
Edmonton Oilers forward Zack Kassian was ready for his revenge after coming back from his two-game suspension that was given to him for pounding Calgary Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk into the ice. Kassian, said he wanted Tkachuk to “answer the bell,” and that’s exactly what happened.
Even with all the media attention centered around Rogers Place, that even saw the NHL’s Department of Player Safety in attendance, the score was settled. Or was it? It is pretty hard to deny that the energy in this game brought the Battle of Alberta back to light.
The fact that this whole Kassian and Tkachuk feud has gone on, Sean Monahan vs. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins‘ scrap last night, and Connor McDavid visibly irate (and rightly so) that Mark Giordano attempted to take out his knee, has only fueled the fire.
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Kassian did follow up last night in the post game by saying that “it’s over,” but that was just in reference to him and Tkachuk and the incident that took place on January 11. With both of these teams fighting back and forth for a top three spot in the Pacific Division, I can’t picture another game, or potentially playoff series, where these two teams don’t get into it again.
We didn’t see a Vancouver Canucks version against Calgary in 2014, where Bob Hartley decided to start his fourth line for the game which proceeded to blow up John Tortorella‘s head. Instead, Tkachuk asked Kassian to drop them, but it would be on Kassian’s terms. It didn’t take long for him to come to those terms by waiting until the last 4 minutes of the first period. Not to mention Sean Monahan and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins also dropped the mitts just before that, a fight everyone was expecting to happen…
Fighting in the game is far and few between now, but for the people that call to get it out of the game completely, just need to look at this game as an example on why it still needs to be a part of the game. Not only does it hold people accountable for reckless actions, but when it’s done out of respect and for a reason, it brings another element to the game.
Don’t get me wrong, the “goons” or enforcers, and fighting for the sake of fighting definitely needed to be phased out of the game. We’ve obviously seen the effects it has had on enforcers lives after hockey, but policing (cause the NHL clearly can’t more than half the time) and having grit and toughness as an element to the game is needed. I mean, need I say more about the attention this game was getting last night?
It’s clearly still want people want to see and especially for the in-game atmosphere. Not all of it, just enough animosity to create the playoff like games, because after all, it’s way more entertaining to watch.
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