Preface
I didn’t see the events that happened after the final buzzer in Game 2. I was running out of the place at the two second mark of the 3rd period because I had to go pick up my daughter at a friend’s place and I didn’t want to be late. This isn’t about what happened after the game, but this more about the cause and effect of a bigger issue that’s ongoing in the game of hockey especially in the QMJHL.
Cause-Effect and the Deal With the Devil
When the QMJHL first made the announcement about no fighting we all knew the times were changing especially in the concussion era of the game. We all know staged fighting has no place in the league or in the game of hockey, but perhaps the pendulum has swung way too far and things aren’t going to get better anytime soon. Again, I realize fighting is part of the game, I’m not a big fan of it when players get jumped. I’m not a big fan of throwing a clean hit and then having to drop the gloves or being jumped because of being tough to play against. That stuff is ridiculous as far as I’m concerned, but now instead of that players are going in with sticks up and the proverbial crosscheck isn’t keeping any player honest it’s adding to the bull shit we are witnessing after every stoppage or every time someone doesn’t like what’s happening out there.
You see there’s a cause and effect when it comes to not dropping the gloves. Certain players are running their mouths and taking runs at guys out there not only in this series but all year long because they know damn well that they don’t have to back it up, they know they will be swarmed by the linesmen because these players aren’t stupid, they know damn well the liney’s are going to step in and get in between them. The dirty pest that’s nasty with their stick and throws borderline hits behind the play and takes runs at guys knows full well, that no one is going to do anything and that if they do, they might draw the extra two and go on the man advantage.
I’m not promoting fights after every whistle or stoppage, no one wants to see that at the junior level, but there comes a point where the leagues continue to call themselves “developmental” will have to understand that players going to the next level won’t be prepared to be tested and if they run their mouths or act like total idiots with their sticks they will have to back that shit up or they will get knocked into next month.
I understand the fighting rules are to protect the integrity of the game and the player, but something has to change. Leagues will always look at the numbers err on the side of caution when it comes to dropping the gloves, but the game is cultivating players that have no clue how to protect themselves or stand up for themselves and even if they do, players are so hesitant to drop them now that they are literally having discussions on when to burn their “fight” or trying to calculate when would be the best time to drop them, that’s no way to play with emotion.
What happens to the 19 or 20 year old graduating into the AHL or the pro ranks that haven’t thrown them in a year and half? How the hell are they going to be ready? We are cultivating “sneaky dirty rats” or “fake tough” players because it’s a free for all right now.
You see players exchange crosschecks in front of the net and as soon as one of the players want to drop the gloves and go the linesmen are there to break it up or they let the players get a few in and then break them up and take both of them. By no means is it the liney’s fault they’re doing exactly what they’re told to do.
Several times throughout Game 1 and Game 2 of the Blainville Moncton series there have been times where certain players are running around and active with their sticks. I’m not saying what happened at the end of the game doesn’t happen, but if players were allowed to go we might not have seen so much bull shit and you would finally see the players that are willing and capable instead of players that are pretenders who just run their mouths nonstop and act tough with their crosschecks.
We all know what happened to cause this league wide, but we are now certainly seeing the effects of it. Some people say it might have been a deal with the devil, but we are certainly seeing the cause and effect now.
Fighting is part of the game. Right or wrong it’s part of the game. I don’t want to see players get hurt or concussed, but running around swinging your stick, running your mouth off and taking runs at people’s heads isn’t part of the game, well I guess it is in today’s game, I guess that’s what some people call tough.
The definition of tough has drastically changed, because these rules have created players that can’t back up shit when it comes to all of the antics they do and you want to know something, there’s zero consequence anymore for players like that because they keep getting away with it.
It’s a vicious cycle that’s being created right now and everyone involved is trying to navigate it, but the more people try to control what’s happening out there the more it’s getting out of control.
There’s a big difference between willing and able right now.
A few months ago, I wrote this from a scouting perspective. Can they go? https://firstdownsportspodcast.com/2026/02/04/can-they-go/
NHL scouts are wondering what the hell is going on and what’s going to happen at the next level, because they have no idea what to expect from players because all they see is “fake tough” instead of willing and real tough which is a big problem.
The pendulum has swung and continues to swing and we are seeing the cause and effect of that.
The Quick Shift 