Edmonton Oilers Reflects On The Future Of Fighting After Zack Kassian Injury – Edmonton | The Canadian News

The mood at Rogers Place quickly turned from excitement to concern at the end of Edmonton Oilers’ 3-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night.

With just under four minutes to go, Zack Kassian faced Zack MacEwen from Vancouver. When the fight was over, the pair fell to the ice. Kassian, who had his helmet removed in the fight, remained motionless for a few seconds after his head hit the ice.

“You just hope it’s okay. It was good to see him awake after the game and to see him this morning. He is one of the toughest guys I have ever met and played with. Obviously he has a hard skull too, ”Oilers defender Darnell Nurse said.

Kassian finally got to his feet and slowly skidded off the ice. He was on the track Friday morning, but did not participate in practice.

“The blow to his head has disappeared a bit this morning. It feels good, ”said head coach Dave Tippett. “I think he will have to follow the concussion protocols for a few days, and we’ll see where things go.”

Kassian injured his hand last February in a fight. Also last season, Jujhar Khaira was knocked out in a fight with Calgary’s Brett Ritchie.

Defender Darnell Nurse, who has 19 NHL fights under his belt, acknowledges that fights can be dangerous. However, you can’t imagine hockey without it either.

“There is always a place for that in the game. I think that’s the only thing about hockey, is that they can control themselves with that aspect of the game, ”Nurse said.

“I think there will always be a place for him in the league and in the game.”

Nurse has shown his willingness to stand up for his teammates and drop his gloves over the years. He also recognizes that, as the team’s number one defender, he is needed on the ice as much as possible.

“As a player, there are times when I’m going to warm up and get into fights. It can’t help but be all the time. It hurts the team more to be in the box during those minutes, ”Nurse explained.

Although fights were up a bit last year with teams only playing rivals within the division, it has been on the decline. As recently as the 2016-17 season, the Oilers had .43 fights per game. Just two years later, in the 2018-19 season, they were .17.

“The culture of fighting is changing a lot,” Tippett said. “There is still some animosity that arises during the game. Maybe someone will get hit. Perhaps two boys are trying to stimulate the excitement of the game. If we go back 10 or 12 years, two guys in that role would fight each other just to make sure they fulfill their role. That is out of the game.

“I would say that at some point there will come a point where fighting is no longer allowed in hockey. But we haven’t arrived yet. “

The Oilers close the preseason on Saturday night in Vancouver. The game is at 630 CHED with the Face-off Show at 5:30 p.m. The game starts at 7 p.m. M.