Source: Fighting for Stanley

Welcome to Hockey in Society’s Weekly Links post. This feature highlights articles or blog entries that are related to Hockey in Society’s areas of interest and that may be of interest to the site’s readers. Please check out some of the great writing that is happening in the hockey media and blogosphere!

• Fighting and violence continues to be the hot topic after Habs forward George Parros was seriously injured in a fight on opening night. James Mirtle questions the role of designated fighters and the purpose of staged fights. [Globe and Mail]
• Regardless of how many injuries are caused by useless fights, there are still those that feel it has a place in the game. Canucks Army provides counter-arguments to question why the league continues to support fighting.  [Canucks Army]
• Tampa Bay Lightning GM, and all-round hockey legend, Steve Yzerman took a strong stance against fighting, arguing for a game misconduct for players who fight. Yzerman questions how the league is trying to reduce hits to the head, but still allows fighting. [Globe and Mail]

• Derek Zona puts together a solid piece on how fighting is no deterrent for cheap shots in the game. Great examples of how enforcers are in the games where a lot of questionable hits have occurred. I’d also support Derek’s proposal of an “Eye-for-an-eye Suspension”. [Copper and Blue]

Now for some non-fighting related links!

• Rory Bolen, a self-professed hockey “traditionalist,” explains why he thinks the NHL’s new hybrid icing rule is a smart move for player safety. [The Hockey News]
• Joe Pelletier examines the impact of Borje Salming, who in the 1970s became the first Swedish superstar in the NHL, on the acceptance of European players in North America. [Greatest Hockey Legends]
• Swedish scholar Tobias Stark has an interesting discussion on the notion of hockey as a comparable to religion, with specific reference to the Montreal Canadiens. Please note: the article is in Swedish, so you’ll need to use Google Translate (or another translation tool) to get an approximate English version. [Nordic Sport Science Forum]
• Interesting read from Ben Kuzma on the long-term brain injuries suffered by retired NHLers Geoff Courtnall, and his long road to recovery. [The Province]
• A recent study completed by Hockey Canada revealed that youth tend to quit hockey because of the costs, the time commitment, the safety issues and the lack of fun. Hockey Canada continues to see enrolment decline and are working to resolve the problem. [CBC News]
• For the 2013-2014 season, the mighty blog network of SB Nation profiles every NHL team, explains the new rule changes and even provides a primer on hockey analytics. [SB Nation]
• For in-depth coverage of college hockey in the US, check out Chris Peters work over at United States of Hockey. This week, Chris puts together a list of the top 25 players. [United States of Hockey]