The Impact of the Instigator Rule on Fighting in the National Hockey League.
Journal
Translational sports medicine
ISSN: 2573-8488
Titre abrégé: Transl Sports Med
Pays: England
ID NLM: 101734315
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
2022
2022
Historique:
received:
15
12
2021
revised:
02
02
2022
accepted:
07
02
2022
medline:
27
2
2022
pubmed:
27
2
2022
entrez:
24
4
2024
Statut:
epublish
Résumé
Fighting is often considered an essential part of professional hockey. Increased ticket sales, a means to self-regulate other dangerous gameplay, and helping teams win are a few of the reasons that fighting advocates provide for retaining fighting in the NHL. However, fighting trends have changed over the past 50 years. Given the recent data on concussions and player safety, an in-depth analysis of fighting is required to understand if fighting has a place in the future of the NHL. Seasonal statistical team data on NHL teams from the 1967 to 2019 seasons were collected and analyzed using publicly available databases. Specific outcome variables of interest related to fighting, penalties, the final team record for a given season, and final standing were recorded. The data were divided into subgroups according to "era of play" and before/after the implementation of the instigator rule. The trends in fighting, seasonal outcomes, and other minor penalties were assessed to determine the trends in fighting over the past 50 years, the relationship between fighting and winning, and the impact of the instigator rule. Fights per game decreased significantly after the implementation of the instigator rule (0.71 to 0.51 fights per game, Our analysis demonstrates that the Instigator rule achieved its intended effect to decrease the number of fights per game. In the current era of professional hockey, there is no compelling evidence that a team with more fights per game will achieve greater seasonal success. These results continue to cast doubt on the belief that fighting is a necessary strategy for winning games at the NHL level.
Sections du résumé
Background
UNASSIGNED
Fighting is often considered an essential part of professional hockey. Increased ticket sales, a means to self-regulate other dangerous gameplay, and helping teams win are a few of the reasons that fighting advocates provide for retaining fighting in the NHL. However, fighting trends have changed over the past 50 years. Given the recent data on concussions and player safety, an in-depth analysis of fighting is required to understand if fighting has a place in the future of the NHL.
Methods
UNASSIGNED
Seasonal statistical team data on NHL teams from the 1967 to 2019 seasons were collected and analyzed using publicly available databases. Specific outcome variables of interest related to fighting, penalties, the final team record for a given season, and final standing were recorded. The data were divided into subgroups according to "era of play" and before/after the implementation of the instigator rule. The trends in fighting, seasonal outcomes, and other minor penalties were assessed to determine the trends in fighting over the past 50 years, the relationship between fighting and winning, and the impact of the instigator rule.
Results
UNASSIGNED
Fights per game decreased significantly after the implementation of the instigator rule (0.71 to 0.51 fights per game,
Conclusion
UNASSIGNED
Our analysis demonstrates that the Instigator rule achieved its intended effect to decrease the number of fights per game. In the current era of professional hockey, there is no compelling evidence that a team with more fights per game will achieve greater seasonal success. These results continue to cast doubt on the belief that fighting is a necessary strategy for winning games at the NHL level.
Identifiants
pubmed: 38655169
doi: 10.1155/2022/7024766
pmc: PMC11022766
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Pagination
7024766Informations de copyright
Copyright © 2022 Cole Morrissette et al.
Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
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