Fighting remains relevant as NHL continues to evolve

The Penguins are  closing in on the Stanley Cup and possibly becoming the latest dynasty in the NHL.

Another championship would be the organization’s second in as many years, making Pittsburgh the first back-to-back winner since the late 1990s, and the team would tie the Blackhawks for the most titles (three) since 2009.

And yet the Penguins could be on the brink of a style makeover.

On the eve of the Stanley Cup Final, Pittsburgh General Manager Jim Rutherford told The Hockey News the Penguins’ approach has to adjust in light of captain Sidney Crosby being a frequent target of his opponents this postseason.

There was the cross-check to the head by Capitals defenseman Matt Niskanen in the second round that induced a concussion, causing Crosby to miss a game.

Another hit in the face came on the follow-through from a Mark Stone hit in the Eastern Conference Final against the Senators.

And later in that same game, Crosby had water squirted at him from the Ottawa bench and defenseman Marc Methot grabbed at his face during a scrum.

“I hear year after year how the league and everyone loves how the Penguins play,” Rutherford said. “‘They play pure hockey and they skate.’ Well, now it’s going to have to change and I feel bad about it, but it’s the only way we can do it. We’re going to have to get one or two guys.”

RELATED: Coyotes’ Dylan Strome faces pivotal summer

As fighting has dwindled from the game in recent years, the role of the enforcer has disappeared. To stay competitive in a salary-cap era, teams have tried to maximize four lines and three defensive pairings with as much talent as possible instead of reserving spots for players who solely specialize in fisticuffs.

But could on-ice vigilantes re-emerge?

Maybe, but probably not.

Regardless, now isn’t the time to pull the plug on fighting – and not because of old-school nostalgia. Fighting as a staged gimmick isn’t as relevant as it once was, like in the ’70s when bench-clearing brawls were common.

What hasn’t faded, though, is the culture that instigates a scrap, the honor system that binds teammates and polices their foes.

Whether or not this attitude will eventually become extinct is unclear, but the stakeholders – the players, coaches and GMs – should be the ones to evolve the game, even if that means beefing up their rosters as more superstars enter the league.

Honor means ‘everything’

“Don’t tug on Superman’s cape.”

That’s how play-by-play announcer Jim Hughson explained an interruption in the action during a Battle of Alberta between the Oilers and Flames last October.

As soon as Oilers captain Connor McDavid was directed into the boards by Flames defenseman Deryk Engelland after his shot went wide, Engelland was confronted by the Oilers’ Milan Lucic and the two dropped their gloves.

The message was hard to miss; McDavid, who went on to lead the league in points and cement his status as one of the sport’s most electrifying artists, was off-limits.

Setting this tone didn’t prevent others from trying to rattle McDavid; Ducks center Ryan Kesler pestered him throughout the teams’ second-round meeting earlier this postseason.

But the fight wasn’t meaningless.

MORE: Coyotes sign Craig Cunningham as pro scout

Star players have long had teammates stand up for them to try to give them extra room on the ice. Dave Semenko and Marty McSorley are best known as Wayne Gretzky’s bodyguards in the ’80s and ‘90s, and Lucic issued the same warning with his bout.

It highlighted the ability players still have to regulate themselves, as many believe fighting helps cut down on slashing and cheap shots since the perpetrators can be held accountable.

What was also made clear was respect, unity and honor still matter to players and resonate with the fans supporting them.

“To me, that’s everything,” said former Coyote Paul Bissonnette, who’s fought more than 50 times in the NHL.

Just because they can doesn’t mean they will

Not every crunch against an elite player results in a fight; take the Penguins, who have only two tussles on their scorecard during the playoffs. And neither came after any of those incidents with Crosby.

Since 2008-09, the number of fights per game has been cut in half from 0.6 to 0.3 with the percentage of games with fights falling from 41 to just under 25 percent.

The emphasis on speed and skill rather than just brawn helps explain the drop off.

NHL DRAFT: 5 players who may be available to Coyotes at 7

So could the consequences of retaliation fighting. Each team loses the player who fights for at least five minutes as he serves a penalty, and if this is a key player, the absence can sting. A power play may be rewarded if one player is believed to have instigated the confrontation. And a fight can easily serve as a momentum swing that can boost one combatant’s team and hurt the other’s.

“Playing for (Coyotes coach Dave Tippett), there were a lot of times I’d want to do stuff and he’d say, ‘Now’s not the time. Now’s not the time,’” Bissonnette said. “A big part of it was learning how to pick my spots.”

Even though players aren’t choosing to fight as much as their predecessors once did, they have the option. And although it hasn’t been exercised as much, there’s always the chance it rebounds to some extent, with Rutherford’s thoughts suggesting a mentality shift is possible.

Don’t expect battle royals to return

A resurrection of the enforcer, however, is unlikely.

Rule changes have already begun to infiltrate the sport to curb fighting.

Last season, the American Hockey League began to issue an automatic game misconduct for players who fought prior to or immediately after a faceoff. Players also received a one-game suspension after their 10th fighting major during the regular season up to their 13th; after that, they were tagged with a two-game ban.

In the Ontario Hockey League, players were suspended two games once they fought three times.

Bissonnette could see similar guidelines make it to the NHL but said players want to keep fighting in the game.

“Let’s allow guys to control it a bit in their own hands,” he said.

MORE NHL: Mock draft and latest Coyotes picks

That doesn’t green-light the return of pugilists, though, because of how the style has already been minimized.

Today’s youth aren’t exposed to fighting as much as previous generations were, and while there is an upside to toughness, it isn’t coveted by teams at the expense of drafting skill – especially since the NHL could take steps in the future to eradicate fighting. So draft classes featuring one-dimensional heavyweights remains doubtful.

“If they can take care of themselves, that’ always a good thing,” said Coyotes director of amateur scouting Tim Bernhardt. “But it’s almost like a bonus. It’s not something you’re going to say, ‘Let’s take this guy because he can do it.’”

Role of fighting will evolve as game does

Data and cultural perspectives drive rule changes, said Dr. Javier Cardenas of the Barrow Neurological Institute, a sports neurologist who serves as a sideline consultant for Cardinals and Arizona State football home games.

Both are important to keep in mind amid the concussion-conscious climate that’s settled in over sports.

While fighting certainly opens up the possibility for injury, it isn’t causing as many concussions as hits. Cardenas, citing a study from the British Journal of Sports Medicine published in 2015, said 88 percent of concussions in the NHL are from body checking, with 12 percent a result of fighting.

“On one side, you have purists who say, ‘It kind of keeps people in check for dirty plays,’” Cardenas said. “On the other hand, you say, ‘Well, culturally, is that something we want people to adopt out on the ice or in their daily lives and is this something that should be modeled in terms of sportsmanship?’ Those are other decisions that people who are in the rule-making need to consider.”

Evolution is inevitable; just in the last 30 years, the NHL has gone from high-flying offenses in the ‘80s to the clutch-and-grab trapping of the ‘90s, and then a crackdown on obstruction through the 2000s that’s helped fuel an eye-popping speed that headlines today’s action.

The league could be embarking on another distinct era with a talented cast like Crosby, McDavid and Scottsdale’s Auston Matthews at the helm – a unique collection of superstars that may end up requiring regular protection to ensure they stay on the ice and not on injured reserve after a string of slashes and spears.

Or not.

Teams will decide how best to surround these players.

And adding a bit more grit may end up being the solution to ultimately providing what everyone wants: hockey that excites, entertains and enthralls.

Reach the reporter at [email protected] or 602-444-8276. Follow her at twitter.com/azc_mclellan.