I dunno, but the actual "fighting", even in this series, is much less than I remember even a decade ago. Although I DO know people who think a game is boring until there's a fight, and I think they're idiots.
However, you got big guys, playing close quarters in a small rink, at very high speeds. Pair those facts with human nature, and things are going to get physical, and sometimes even violent. For the VERY SAME REASON that it's such a fast and exciting sport, there's going to be an element of violence in the game whether you like it or not, so you can enjoy the game knowing that's how it is, or just don't enjoy it. Complaining about how physical hockey is, and that it can even turn violent, is like complaining that there's too much violence in the UFC. I don't mean to say that violence is an objective or should even be part of the draw of hockey, but unless you make the rink the size of a soccer field, and/or take away the skates (slowing down the pace), it's going to be an inherent part of the game that can't be removed without changing the sport to such a degree, you might as well stop calling it hockey. It's not about saying "F you" to potential fans who might watch the game if it were somehow less physical - it's just that it's simply not possible, if you want to keep the elements that make hockey "one of the fastest and most exciting sports on TV".
With that being said... these past few games have featured a lot sneaky, underhanded, and dirty playing, by both sides. Obviously some are going to disagree with me because nobody wants to think their team won any way but fairly, but Boston has really been piling it on with a bunch of dirty moves, too small to get much attention from the refs, but frequent enough to make Vancouver play frustrated and angry, rather than calm and collected. Don't get me wrong, Vancouver is hardly innocent, but it seems to be almost central to Boston's game plan. Marchand is probably the worst offender, and I'm not even talking about that stack of penalties he managed to earn himself all at once. He's especially been targeting Vancouver's key players in the Sedin twins, and despite the fact he's a tiny guy, the Sedins have a reputation of being pushovers, and they're certainly allowing him to continue to get away with that crap. Funny thing people keep bringing up the counterproductiveness of the instigator rule - if players were able to police themselves a bit more, that little **** would be too injured by now to keep playing.
Ultimately though, despite the massive amount of penalties being handed out, the refs are giving players FAR too much leeway, and allowing the games to get way too emotional. They need to start calling every little thing and regain control of the games - only then do we have a chance of seeing some good, and fairly balanced hockey, rather than these mindgames (and eventual explosion of tempers) that have dominated the last few games.
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