Majority (54%) of Canadians Believe the
NHL should Ban Fighting

Toronto, ON - With the NHL's biggest star, Sidney Crosby, on the sidelines from a concussion, and Mario Lemieux, a retired hockey great and current owner, entering the faceoff circle about violence in the NHL and the current rules governing the conduct of players while on the ice, a new Ipsos Reid poll has asked this great nation of hockey lovers what they think about violence in hockey and what should be done, if anything, to deal with it.

The results of the poll have revealed that a majority (54%) of Canadians `agree' (29% strongly/25% somewhat) that `the NHL should ban fighting', while a minority (46%) `disagree' (18% strongly/27% somewhat) with that proposal. Moreover, just four in ten (37%) Canadians `agree' (10% strongly/27% somewhat) that `fighting is an important part of hockey', while most (63%) `disagree' (34% strongly/29% somewhat) that it is.

Most of the serious injuries in hockey, however, do not come from fighting, but rather from open-ice hits, hits from behind and hits to the head. Eight in ten (79%) `agree' (48% strongly/31% somewhat) that `the NHL should increase penalties for violence-related penalties, such as cross-checking and roughing'. Just two in ten (21) `disagree' (4% strongly/16% somewhat) that the NHL should stiffen penalties in this way.

Support for stiffer penalties is likely a function of the fact that just one in three (32%) Canadians `agree' (8% strongly/24% somewhat) that `violence is just a part of the game and penalties for playing rough and tough should not increase'. Most (68%), however, `disagree' (34% strongly/33% somewhat) that violence is a part of the game.

One of the proposals that has been proposed is to allow linesmen to call penalties after the play has stopped. Currently, only referees can call a penalty, while linesmen cannot call penalties at any time. In an effort to curtail some of the scrums and roughing that occurs after the play, eight in ten (81%) `agree' (33% strongly/48% somewhat) that `the NHL should allow linesmen to call penalties after the play has stopped', while just two in ten (19%) `disagree' (4% strongly/15% somewhat) with this idea.

Younger Canadians Less Likely to Support Banning Fighting...

The data that younger Canadians are less likely to support the banning of fighting and stiffer penalties:

• Just four in ten (40%) Canadians aged 18 to 34 believe that the NHL should ban fighting, compared to those aged 35 to 54 (56%) and those aged 55 and older (65%).
• Nearly half (46%) of younger Canadians believe fighting is an important part of hockey, while significantly fewer middle-aged (37%) and older (28%) Canadians believe it's important to the game. Further, men (41%) are more likely than women (33%) to agree.
• Younger Canadians are most likely (44%) to believe that violence is just a part of the game and penalties for playing rough and tough should not increase, while middle-aged (31%) and older (23%) Canadians are much less likely to think so.
• Younger Canadians are least likely (65%) to believe the NHL should increase penalties for violence-related offences, while middle-aged (82%) and older (88%) Canadians are more likely to believe this should be done.
• While still a majority, younger Canadians are least inclined (75%) to believe that linesmen should be able to call penalties after the play has stopped, while middle-aged (81%) and older (87%) Canadians are more likely to believe that linesmen should be allowed to call penalties in this manner.

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted between February 15 to 17, 2011, on behalf of Postmedia News and Global National. For this survey, a sample of 1,097 adults from Ipsos' Canadian online panel was interviewed online. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics and ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the adult population according to Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. A survey with an unweighted probability sample of this size and a 100% response rate would have an estimated margin of error of +/-3.0 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what the results would have been had the entire population of adults in Canada been polled. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error.

For more information on this news release, please contact:

John Wright
SVP & Managing Director, Public Opinion Polling
Ipsos Reid
416.324.2002
[email protected]

About Ipsos Reid

Ipsos Reid is Canada's market intelligence leader, the country's leading provider of public opinion research, and research partner for loyalty and forecasting and modelling insights. With operations in eight cities, Ipsos Reid employs more than 600 research professionals and support staff in Canada. The company has the biggest network of telephone call centres in the country, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and online panels. Ipsos Reid's marketing research and public affairs practices offer the premier suite of research vehicles in Canada, all of which provide clients with actionable and relevant information. Staffed with seasoned research consultants with extensive industry-specific backgrounds, Ipsos Reid offers syndicated information or custom solutions across key sectors of the Canadian economy, including consumer packaged goods, financial services, automotive, retail, and technology & telecommunications. Ipsos Reid is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group.

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