, Tennessee head coach Butch Jones said.

It has been one of the longest-running debates in hockey, and this years crackdown at the junior and American Hockey League levels will once again bring it to the forefront.Is there still a place for fighting in the NHL? And if so, for how long?Lets face it, the game has gone away from it, said Philadelphia Flyers president Paul Holmgren, who was in 89 fights and piled up 1,684 penalty minutes in 527 NHL games from 1976-85.Its more of a four-line game. If a fourth-line guy is not killing penalties, your team is probably not very good. To have a guy sit on your bench whos just going to fight, that times gone by.Last month, the Ontario Hockey League instituted a three-fight rule, dictating that players who drop the gloves more than three times during the 2016-17 season will be suspended two games for each subsequent fight.Under a 10-fight rule last season, 56 OHL players had more than three fights but none exceeded 10.This season, the AHL is adopting a 10-fight rule, suspending players one game for every fight exceeding 10. Players who engage in more than 13 fights will be suspended two games for each subsequent fight.The AHL will also issue a game misconduct for any player who engages in a staged fight immediately before or after a faceoff.Milwaukee Admirals left winger?Michael Liambas, who led the AHL with 20 fighting majors last season with the Rockford IceHogs, said players will find ways to circumvent staged fighting but will need to curb their enthusiasm for dropping the gloves over the course of a full season.I dont think theres a place for [staged fighting], but I think fighting has always been in hockey and always will and always should be, Liambas said. If you want a real gauge on it, you should probably ask the nonfighting guys how they feel about it. I think guys feel more comfortable with me being in the lineup rather than not having someone around to take care of guys getting out of hand.Two members of the Flyers are on board.I think its good to have an enforcer on the team, said captain Claude Giroux. It keeps guys honest. I think every team has one, as they should. There has been a lot of talk about enforcers being eliminated, but Im a strong believer in those kind of players.Added defenseman Michael Del Zotto: Before the game, youll look at the other teams lineup and whenever you see a tough guy or enforcer, it definitely makes you think twice about trying to take liberties or running another guy on the other team in a vulnerable position. Anytime you see [an enforcer] like this, it crosses your mind and I think it helps with the safety of the game.According to hockeyfights.com, there were 696 fights in the 30-team AHL last season, and 16 players received 11 or more fighting majors. By comparison, the 30-team NHL had 343 fights, with just three players in excess of 10 -- Cody McLeod of the Colorado Avalanche with 12, and Derek Dorsett of the Vancouver Canucks and Matt Martin of the New York Islanders each with 11.Holmgren said hes curious to see how AHL fans react to what he anticipates will be a dramatic drop in fights.Some of those towns like that style of game, Holmgren said. But if you look at the junior leagues, theres very little fighting anymore. Once those players get to the NHL, they probably will not have had many fights coming up, so why should they start [fighting] in the NHL?But what about players such as Liambas, who has averaged 20 fights a season in his past three years in the AHL?Its not like Im going to say, I had a fight four games ago, I better cool it for another 10 games, Liambas said. Because you dont know whats going to happen within a game. If it has to be done, it has to be done.If Im at nine fights and something happens on the ice thats pretty dirty, its still something that has to be done. At the end of the day, sticking up for my brothers in that locker room is a big deal to me and something I take pride in, making sure my teammates are safe out there.Lehigh Valley Phantoms forward Tyrell Goulbourne agrees, adding that the crackdown on staged fighting wont actually cut down on the number of overall fights.Guys know ways around it, said Goulbourne, who led his team with seven fights last season. You just have to be in the play before you [fight]. You engage the puck, bump your guy and go at it.The bigger issue among hockey enforcers is the impact fewer fights will have on the overall safety of players.I feel like there are more cheap shots now than theres ever been, said Lehigh Valley assistant coach and former enforcer Riley Cote, who had five pro seasons at various levels with more than 20 fights, including 24 in 2007-08 and 22 in 2008-09 with the Flyers.Cote said one reason for the recent increase in head injuries is that todays players are bigger, faster and cover more ice than ever before. But he believes there is another reason.Theres virtually no accountability anymore, he said. I think there are more concussions and more injuries because theres nobody there to keep the peace. Fans who dont understand hockey dont understand that. If you could do the math on it, fighting probably helps limit head blows.I get it. The days of the Broad Street Bullies are out the door. But even in the [six years] since I retired and got into coaching, Ive seen the respect of the game and the accountability go down and down and down. Guys can skate around like King Kong. They dont answer the bell, they just turtle and go on the power play and make you look like a fool. I dont like where theyre going with it.Liambas, who said he has been concussed once in more than 100 career fights, said he thinks the NHL is using the AHLs 10-fight rule as a test, with the intent to adopt similar measures and possibly take fighting out of the NHL game altogether.If they do that, I think guys would have a lot bigger stones on the ice, because they know they can get away with anything and they wouldnt have to answer the bell for their actions, other than getting a penalty or getting a suspension or fined by the league, Liambas said.Still, the debate rages on, with Holmgren saying he would not be surprised to see a fightless NHL in the not-too-distant future.I might be biased, Holmgren said, but I watch an NHL playoff game now, and I just go, Wow. The speed, the hitting -- its unbelievable. Well survive with or without fighting. Hockeys a great game, and if thats the way its going -- I think its still some years down the road -- but if in fact thats the way its going, sure, Im OK with that. Roger Staubach Youth Jersey . -- The Sacramento Kings are set to become the first major professional sports franchise to accept Bitcoin virtual currency for ticket and merchandise purchases. Bob Lilly Cowboys Jersey . After a replay, the winner will meet Sunderland in the quarterfinals. Sagbo did well to control Sone Alukos right cross and fire past Brighton goalkeeper Peter Brezovan. Aluko was making his first start in four months after recovering from an Achilles injury. http://www.cowboysrookieproshop.com/Cowboys-Troy-Aikman-Jersey/ . The Redskins announced Monday that the quarterback who led the team to the Super Bowl championship in the 1987 season will serve as a personnel executive. Tony Pollard Youth Jersey . -- Charlie Graham stopped 67 shots as the Belleville Bulls edged the visiting Guelph Storm 6-5 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action. Terrell Owens Youth Jersey . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. RIO DE JANEIRO -- Novak Djokovic will face 2009 U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro in the first round of the Olympics in a rematch of the 2012 bronze medal match.Del Potros ranking has fallen to 145th after he endured three operations on his left wrist. But at his first Grand Slam in 2 1/2 years, he upset fourth-seeded Stan Wawrinka at Wimbledon last month. The Argentine beat Djokovic for bronze in London four years ago.The top-ranked Djokovic, a 12-time major champion, is seeking his first Olympic title. A potential semifinal opponent in Rio de Janeiro is third-seeded Rafael Nadal, who hasnt played since withdrawing from the French Open because of a left wrist injury.Reigning gold medalist Andy Murray could face fourth-seeded Kei Nishikori in the semifinals. The Wimbledon champion will meet 35th-ranked Viktor Troicki in the first round in the 64-player draw, which was announced Thursday.Hes one of the better players thats not seeded, Murray said. He likes the hard court. Good competitor, good mover. Definitely a tough opening match.In the womens draw, top-ranked Serena Williams, the reigning gold medalist, could face older sister Venus in the semifinals. Also on her half of the draw is Spains Garbine Muguruza, who beat the 22-time major champion in this years French Open final. And a potential quarterfinal opponent is Italys Roberta Vinci, who stunned Williams in last years U.S. Open semifinals to end the Americans Grand Slam bid.The Williams sisters, coming off a Wimbledon title, are seeded first in doubles as they seek their fourth gold medal together.The tournament starts Satuurday, though Murray, who will be Britains flag bearer at Fridays opening ceremony, doesnt play until Sunday.dddddddddddd. He is also seeded second in doubles with older brother Jamie, who won this years Australian Open title with regular partner Bruno Soares of Brazil. Andy Murray said he considered his Olympic singles and doubles competitions to be of equal importance.The Murray brothers face two other Brazilians, Thomaz Bellucci and Andre Sa, in the first round.Im sure the crowd will be pretty lively, Jamie Murray said.Its going to be a tough team, he added, and obviously inspired to play in their home Olympics. Expect them to perform well.Wawrinka and Roger Federer were expected to contend for another doubles gold medal for Switzerland, but both pulled out of the Olympics because of injuries, leaving the Rio Games without two of the top four men in the rankings. Overall, half of the top 20 wont be in Brazil for various reasons, though the draw still has the star power of Djokovic, Murray and Nadal.Murray noted that if not for injuries to Federer and Wawrinka, every mens Grand Slam champion of the past decade-plus would be in Rio.It is unfortunate. The Olympics in London was very strong, Murray said. Because of a few injuries and some of the potential health problems, its made it a little bit weaker this time around.Everyone views things differently. For me, the Olympics is the biggest sporting event by far, and Im proud to be here representing my country. ' ' '