The NHL preseason is underway, and fans around the league are seeing their fair share of old-fashioned fights as players literally battle to get noticed and try to secure big-league roster spots.
For the most part, their efforts will be futile. Once the regular season gets rolling, fisticuffs will become more and more of a rare occurrence.
HockeyFights.com confirms that fighting in the NHL dropped again in 2015-16. Speed and skill are now seen as the more effective tools for winning hockey games. A better understanding of the long-term health effects of blows to the head has also helped fans and players understand that hockey fights are more than just harmless sideshows within a game.