Fighting isn't a just an excuse to drop the gloves and celebrate violence, as many new hockey fans see it, but rather as a way for players to police the game themselves. Following a dirty hit or some other type of play which a team might take exception to, specifically if it leads to an injury of a star player, a teammate might drop the gloves with the perpetrator to ward off similar behaviour in the future or to ensure that justice is upheld on the ice. It's a way for teams to ensure that players don't get to take free shots or liberties on players like
Connor McDavid,
Nathan MacKinnon and
Auston Matthews. It's one of the reasons why the Leafs went out and signed
Ryan Reaves this off-season and why they brought in Wayne Simmonds a few years ago. The goal of fighting in hockey is to protect the team's star players and to send a warning to the opposing team that there are no free shots allowed.