It appears that the test run for anti-fighting rules will begin this season in the American Hockey League.
According to Arpon Basu of NHL.com the AHL has announced new rules regarding fighting in their league and they are as follows.
-Players who enter into a fight prior to, at, or immediately following the drop of the puck for a faceoff will be assessed an automatic game misconduct in addition to other penalties assessed.
- During the regular season, any player who incurs his 10th fighting major shall be suspended automatically for one game. For each subsequent fighting major up to 13, the player shall also be suspended automatically for one game.
- During the regular season, any player who incurs his 14th fighting major shall be suspended automatically for two games. Each subsequent fighting major, the player shall also be suspended automatically for two games.
- In any instance where the opposing player was assessed an instigator penalty the fighting major shall not count towards the player's total for this rule.
The American Hockey League is often the test pilot for rules to later be adopted in the National Hockey League, and TSN's James Mirtle believes that's exactly the case here.
We may be seeing the beginning of the NHL's crack down on fighting.
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