Junior League Bans Fighting: Is Fighting In Hockey On Its Way Out (For Real This Time)?

The art of hockey fighting was struck a blow Thursday when the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League announced that fighting is banned.

The league made the announcement while unveiling its safety regulations for the 2023-24 season.

Welp. That sounds like a ban to me: "As soon as a fight occurs, those engaged must be systematically ejected from the game."

No 5-minute majors for fighting in the QMJHL anymore. Nope, ejections and suspensions are going to be dealt to any player that drops the gloves.

Now, this wasn't unexpected at all. The QMJHL had been moving in this direction for years. They progressively increased the severity of dropping for fighting. Plans to ban fighting were announced earlier this year (after pressure from Quebec sports minister Isabelle Charest. Thanks, government!), but now we know how they'll enforce it: like if suspensions were one of Oprah's favorite things.

"You get a suspension, and you get a suspension, and you get a suspension!"

Don't expect to see too much of this in the QMJHL this season. (Photo by Dale Preston/Getty Images)

Other Leagues Won't Follow QMJHL's Lead... For Now

These rules apply to the QMJHL only... for now.

The QMJHL is one of the three leagues — along with the Western Hockey League and the Ontario Hockey League — that makes up the Canadian Hockey League or CHL. That's the top level of junior hockey in North America.

Fighting has been on the decline in the CHL as it has in just about any league where it's not already banned.

When the QMJHL announced its intention to ban fighting, WHL commissioner Ron Robinson said the league had no plans to do the same. OHL commissioner David Branch said something similar but did mention wanting to see how this played out for the QMJHL, per Sportsnet.

For now, fighting will still be part of the game in the WHL and OHL, but who knows? It doesn't seem outlandish to think there may be a time when that happens.

Of course, fighting may still happen. So, it'll be interesting to see how things shake out the first time someone runs afoul of these new rules.

Will the QMJHL's ban on fighting lead to an even heftier dip in knuck-chucking at the NHL level? (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

So, What Does This Mean For The NHL?

Fortunately for fight lovers, this QMJHL decision won't have much of an immediate effect on the NHL.

I think this may have a slight effect on the willingness of some players to drop the gloves and start chucking knucks. However, that kind of thing has been on the decline for years.

The game is so fast and skill is the name of the game, the days of being able to punch your way onto an NHL roster are already gone.

However, I don't think fighting will ever go away completely, nor would the league want it to. It's one of the things that sets the NHL apart from a lot of leagues. Plus, fighting is an intense, visceral part of the game that draws in a lot of fans.

There won't ever be as much of it as there was back in "the day." but as long as there are hockey players who get angry, there will be fights.

No matter how long the suspensions are.

Follow on Twitter: @Matt_Reigle