Kassian shares controversial take on fighting in the NHL following preseason knockout.

After what just happened to him during the National Hockey League preseason, you would fully expect that Edmonton Oilers forward Zack Kassian would be at the forefront of pushing for a ban on fighting in the league, but nothing could possibly be further from the truth.

In spite of what was a very scary ordeal for Kassian during a preseason game against the Vancouver Canucks, the gritty Edmonton Oilers forward just shared a stance on fighting in the league that I think may come as a surprise to many. Instead of suggesting that fighting should be toned down or phased out entirely after his own ordeal, Kassian firmly believes that fighting should never be removed from the sport of hockey.

To clarify here Kassian did object to certain types of fights, specifically the scripted ones, but overall it was clear that he feels fighting is an overall positive for the sport.

"Me, personally, I think (fighting) should always be in the game,” said Kassian as per Mark Spector. “Staged fighting? I don’t think there’s a place for that. But the flare-ups, standing up for your teammates… It’s an emotional game, and there are going to be some fights here and there. That’s what makes hockey unique."

It is the exact opposite opinion you would expect a person to have of an activity that left them unconscious on a frozen sheet of ice. In spite of that Kassian, like many of his fellow players in the NHL, clearly feel that the ability for the players to police themselves on the ice is an important aspect of the game.

I've mentioned the now infamous incident that occurred during a preseason fight between Kassian and what was at the time Vancouver Canucks forward Zack MacEwen a number of times in this story and for those of you who haven't seen it, as I know many people don't tune in for preseason hockey, here it is. During the exchange between the two men Kassian loses his helmet. In an incredibly unfortunate set of circumstances he then crashes to the ice head first, smacking his exposed head against the ice in disturbing fashion.