No more fighting?

I don’t think I’m speaking out of turn here when I state that the average Manitoba Junior Hockey League fan enjoys a good fight.
MJHL Commissioner Kim Davis is a leader in this league, but he answers to those above him in the hockey hierarchy in Canada. And last November, Hockey Canada passed a motion to limit the number of fights a player can have in a game to one. This would be much like preseason rules – one fight and you’re tossed.
The motion which was passed reads as such – A Major Penalty should be imposed on any player who engages in fisticuffs for the first time in a game. A second offense would result in a Major Penalty and a Game Misconduct penalty. A player identified as the instigator in a fight shall be assessed, in addition to the Major for fighting, a Minor and a Misconduct penalty. Note: All players who engage in a fight will receive a Major penalty and a Game Misconduct. Rationale: This would discourage fighting and provide consistency within our playing rules.
“Essentially, it’s no fighting, since if you fight once, you’re out,” said Davis. “That’s been approved by the Hockey Canada board, but having said that, I and my counterparts from the other junior A leagues in the West, are doing what we can to see if we can clarify that, and see if we can have it changed or amended.”
The motion will be voted on at Hockey Canada’s annual general meeting in May.
There are other motions as well. Any player who gets in their third fight of the season would be suspended a game. Four fights? Two games. Five fights? Three games. Six? Indefinite suspension.
Apparently Hockey Canada wants to implement this as soon as next season. Davis acknowledges this is an extremely import discussion.
“This is about the future of not just our league, but other leagues like ours,” he said. “I’ve been working behind the scenes over the last few months.”
Davis said the MJHL is looking for some alternative arrangements for his and other junior A leagues.
“We’re in the business to operate (franchises) and attract fans,” he said. “And there’s other issues as well. When you make a big rule change, there’s reactions in other parts of the game as well.”
What do you, the fan, think? Is a no-fighting MJHL something you’re looking forward to? Or do you disagree with Hockey Canada’s plans? Send me a note at editor@starandtimes.ca and let me – and the policy makers at Hockey Canada – know.
• The battles in the MJHL are so tight this month (a refreshing change from other years) that several teams could feasibly end up tied when they’re done playing their 62 games.
If that’s the case, the MJHL has a set policy for tiebreakers.
The first tiebreaker is head-to-head record. As explained by the MJHL, “In the event that two or more clubs are tied with the same number of points, then the higher position shall be awarded to the club having won the greater number of games against each other”.
If that doesn’t break the tie, they then resort to the number of wins, and other categories.
“If the tie is still not broken, then the team with the greater number of wins shall be awarded the higher position. Should the clubs be tied in all the foregoing departments, then the higher position shall be awarded to the club using the following process: The greatest positive differential between goals scored for and against by the clubs having equal standing in games played between the clubs. If still tied, the method used will be the goal differential in the total league games played by the clubs with equal standing.”
The bottom line is, win the season series against the team you are battling, and you’ll win the tiebreaker.
Unless we’re talking about the crossover. The OCN Blizzard will have to do better than the Winnipeg South Blues if they want to earn that crossover spot.
“(The tiebreakers) do not apply for the crossover mechanism that the (MJHL) uses. In that case, the cross over team must have more points than the team it is trying to replace in the division. Having the same number of points in the standings is not good enough to qualify for eligibility to cross over.”
Most teams would rather settle things definitely and not have to worry about a tiebreaker. But if it’s needed, the MJHL has the policies in place to determine who gets to finish higher in the standings.
• Speaking of the playoffs, Davis said he’s excited about the league playoffs which are set to start at the end of February.
“Unlike some recent years, I think it’s wide open in terms of who could win the league championship,” he said. “Once we get the (playoff) matchups finalized, it’s going to be really exciting.”
Davis is also keeping tabs on Dauphin’s preparations for the RBC Cup.
“They have regular meetings with Hockey Canada reps and Hockey Manitoba, and they’re right on schedule in terms of what they need for infrastructure needed to host this event,” he said. “They’re doing a great job.”
And MJHL fans are excited about the potential prospect of having two MJHL teams take part in the RBC Cup. The MJHL initially hoped if Dauphin won the ANAVET Cup that the MJHL runner up would get in, but that isn’t the case. Still, if a MJHL team is able to knock off the Dauphin Kings (no easy task since they’ve set a franchise benchmark for wins this year) and beat the SJHL in the ANAVET Cup, the MJHL could have two teams in the year-end tournament.
• Dauphin Kings forward Devin Mitzner is the latest Potters Distillers Player of the Week.
The Strathmore, Alta., product scored four goals and added five assists in three games for the Kings.
Also considered for this award was Mitzner’s teammate Mitch Czibere and Portage Terriers’ goaltender Jordan Washburn.
Czibere also had four goals and nine points in three games, while Washburn went 2-0 with a 1.00 GAA and .962 save percentage.