NHL Fights of the Year 2012: Let's Get Ready to Rumble

"I went to a fight, and a hockey game broke out"—some jackwagon

As a kid what first drew my attention to hockey was an all-out brawl between the Detroit Red Wings and the Boston Bruins that featured eight fights. There was a rookie forward on the Red Wings named Bob Probert who was taking on veteran Boston tough guy Brian Curran. The fight was something I had never seen before in sports.

As young spark plugs, we were taught about sportsmanship and playing "the right way." This was my first exposure to hockey, and I fell in love. What made the scene more awesome to me was that even though these two guys dropped their gloves and tried to kill each other, they were allowed to continue to play in the game!

My little Sparky assessment was that in hockey, you can beat the crap out of someone if they are annoying you, and only get penalized five minutes. I was amazed.

In a kinder, softer, "everybody gets a trophy" world we now live in, some folks believe fighting in hockey should be banned. What kind of message is it sending to the kids? It's barbaric and brutal, and shows that the sport has failed to evolve. What if someone gets killed on the ice?

I'm not one of those guys. Since that day in front of my family's 20" 500-pound TV, I became a junkie, specifically a Red Wings junkie. I believe fighting does have a place in hockey and always will. While the number of fighting majors does seem to be on the decline, dropping the mitts is the equal opportunity on-ice policing that allows players the chance to regulate a cheap or dirty play.

Off the soap box I go, now for the action! Here are some of the best fights of the 2011-12 season.

Kovalchuk vs. Schenn

We'll warm you up with this unlikely little scrap between Devils sniper Ilya Kovalchuk and Flyers grinder Brayden Schenn. Kovie looks like he can handle himself, getting the better of young Schenn.

However, Kovalchuk is a scorer first, and a win over the younger and smaller of the Schenn brothers hardly puts Kovalchuk in an elite fight club.

Matt Kassian vs. Darcy Hordichuk

Hordichuk is out on the ice for energy and flattens a Wild player along the boards. Matt Kassian steps in to defend his teammate.

Normally I don't condone players going after someone who puts a big, legal hit on one of their teammates, but Hordichuk is out there for a specific reason.

Unfortunatley, Kassian gets the best of him in the first of their three fights this year. Trust me folks, the other two were more one-sided in Kassian's favor.

Zack Kassian vs. Tom Sestitio

I love this fight, as Sestito looks like he's going to wreck the younger of the brawling Kassians. The tide turns as Kassian catches Sestito with a left and drops him like a bad habit.

Sestito gets hurt on the play, tearing his groin when he fell awkwardly. That's a tough break for Sestito, who was trying to earn a spot on the Flyers roster.

Evander Kane vs. Chris Neil

This is a textbook scenario why the NHL needs fighting. Evander Kane takes a head shot at Senators star defenseman Erik Karlsson, and teammate Chris Neil comes to Karlsson's defense.

An unremarkable fight, but a sweet hit on Kane by Neil, and subsequent donnybrook between the Jets and Sens.

Kane and Neil are both heavyweights, and I'm sure their paths will cross again.

Brandon Bollig vs. Ryan Reaves

Brandon Bollig and Ryan Reaves are two of the new generation of enforcers in the league.

They have fought in the minors, and, as divisional rivals, will more than likely be throwing down the gloves with more frequency. The best part of this back-and-forth bout is the helmet tap at the end.

They beat the snot out of each other, but the tap at the end shows great respect and sportsmanship.

Mike Komisarek vs. Milan Lucic

I suggest you turn the volume down when you watch this fight, unless you are a Bruins fan. The homer announcer almost runs this scrap with ill-timed and exaggerated commentary.

I'll give the win to Lucic, but the announcer implies that Looch has ripped out Komisarek's heart and is eating it in front of his family.

Lucic is possibly the best fighter in the NHL, and pounded Kommie regularly during Bruins-Canadiens games. Komisarek wanted another shot and did better than he had prior, but still took some serious lumps.

Zdeno Chara vs. Chris Neil

In a battle of former teammates—and a rematch of their unwatchable wrestling match—Neil actually appears to get the better of the much larger Boston bear.

While I'd loved to have seen a Neil-Lucic rematch as well, this was a pretty good tussle. Chara comes to the defense of Johnny Boychuk, who got wrecked by Neil earlier.

Devils vs. Rangers

I'm sorry, but I love this. You don't hear the crowd booing, do you? The league was in an uproar over this scene, but I absolutely loved it.

One of the best parts of this was that there were so many fights that the refs couldn't interrupt and prematurely end them.

The Rangers and Devils don't like each other, and I'm sure the coaches feel the same. That's a good thing people.

Contemptuous rivalries are great for the game of hockey and the NHL. Anyone remember Wings-Avs? That is what a rivalry should be, and the quality of play between the two teams was electric.

Jay Beagle vs. Arron Asham

Look away if you're a Caps or Jay Beagle fan, because you know how this one ends.

Beagle wants to step up and defend himself after roughing Kris Letang. Asham is a tough dude and certainly handles Beagle easily.

The antics after Beagle is knocked cold didn't endear him to anyone though. He later apologized, but the visual of Beagle semi-conscious, face down with Asham clowning him is something that should have fired the Caps up. It really didn't, however.

The Caps won the game, but their performance got their coach Bruce Boudreau fired, and they could miss the playoffs.

Dion Phaneuf vs. Scott Hartnell

This is my undisputed winner this year. The fight was unremarkable, but the scenario shows everything that is awesome about hockey.

Scott Hartnell scores, then goes after Dion Phaneuf, who had checked him into the boards. Phaneuf, who shockingly gets toasted on another goal, has no choice but to accept Hartnell's challenge.

There is nothing better. Getting clipped from behind on a marginally legal check from an overrated defenseman, scoring a goal by beating aforementioned overrated defenseman, then eyeballing and engaging normally cowardly, overrated defenseman in fisticuffs.

Advantage Hartnell.