Should NHL players have to fight after delivering a clean hit?

DALLAS — Connor Murphy’s stick was wedged in Joel Eriksson Ek’s armpit as they battled for a puck in the corner during a game at Chicago’s United Center in November, and a couple of good yanks didn’t do anything to dislodge it. So Murphy gave the Minnesota Wild center a shove to free himself.Eriksson Ek fell awkwardly into the boards, his face meeting the wall. The shove itself was pretty innocuous, but the result — and the sheer sound of the collision — made it seem worse. Almost immediately, Minnesota’s Yakov Trenin was in the then-Chicago Blackhawks defenseman’s face and dropping his gloves. The two each landed a few haymakers in a spirited bout. As Murphy skated off to the penalty box, he looked furious.Not with his performance in the fight. But at the mere fact that he had to fight.Advertisement