Fight and you are gone. That is the new rule the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) board of directors has “overwhelmingly voted to support” according to a league-wide press release send out on Oct. 24.
The new rule, known as the “one-fight rule” will result in a five-minute major as well as the immediate ejection of the player from the game for fighting.
The CJHL, which consists of ten leagues across the country, will be adopting this rule along with new national minimum discipline guidelines.
Five of the ten leagues, which include leagues in the northern United States (SIJHL), Ontario (NOJHL, OJHL and CCHL) and Quebec (LHJAAAQ), are already using the “one-fight” rule.
The other five leagues in Alberta (AJHL), British Columbia (BCHL), Saskatchewan (SJHL), Manitoba (MJHL) and the Maritimes (MHL) will all adopt the rule for the 2015-16 season.
In those five leagues the automatic game ejection occurs after a player's second fight in the same game.
Rick Swan, head coach of the AJHL's Bonnyville Pontiacs is in favour of the rule if it is regulated properly.
“I am all for eliminating staged fights,” said Swan. “The only difficulty is that it has to be really regulated and mandated for guys trying to draw other guys in. They have to watch it. In our league at times there are guys who instigate and force guys into situations where they have to defend themselves.”
Swan also feels the rule is going to make it tougher on coaches to manage the team during a game.
“I know there is going to be more emphasis on us as coaches to ensure we control our bench and we control our players but it is going to be difficult,” said Swan. “Hockey is a game of passion and in the heat of the moment when somebody is trying to respond to something that is outside the rules and they are trying to come to the aid of their teammates. That's when the passion that takes over. That's what makes it tough.”
Pontiacs captain Locke Muller, who has been in his fair share of fights during his time in both the AJHL and the Western Hockey League, thinks the rule is “silly”.
“I completely disagree with it. I think it's silly,” said Muller. “I think fighting will always have a place in hockey. Even the four-fight rule, which we have now, is ridiculous. Guys are going to take liberties on your players. (Fighting) is a way to police the game.”
The “four-fight rule” that Muller refers to is in Section 7.8 of the Junior A Supplement, where a player will start to receive increased suspensions after his fifth fighting major of the season.
According to the rule, the Junior A Supplement is “an innovative set of regulations involving both existing playing rules that have been strengthened or expanded, as well and the creation of new penalties for certain actions and player behaviors,” and was also supported by the CJHL's board of directors.
After a four-year pilot project the supplement will become part of the new National Supplemental Discipline Guidelines for all ten CJHL leagues.
