Hockey or fights?

Can someone please explain how this sport became so barbaric? My husband is an avid hockey fan. He played in high school, and currently plays on a men's league. I have never been a hockey fan. I don't like the sport, I think the fans are obnoxious, and I don't know why fighting has become part of the game. I have never actually watched my husband play hockey. I am just not interested. He came home last night telling me that he almost got into a fight during the game.

Apparently, he felt that he was tripped by another player. Well, before you know it, helmets are being thrown down, and words are being exchanged. Other players have to break this up. Then what happens? NO fight, and he is sent to sit in a penalty box. Common sense would tell a player that a fight is going to get broken up immediately, and consequently, they will miss playing time as punishment. So why even bother?

There are fights in many sports, but it has become a part of hockey. Can't they just play the game, be good competitors, and be done? Why is it necessary to take cheap shots at each other and start fights? Does it make them feel manly to be taken off the ice to sit in a penalty box? It's like giving a child a time-out. My husband tries to explain this to me, but I don't understand. He is correct in saying that if someone came up to me and started bumping into me unnecessarily, I would be right back in their face. However, this is different. Hockey is a physical sport. If these boys can't handle the abuse, maybe they shouldn't play.

I had to try and rationalize this with my husband. Ultimately, he was the aggressor. Did he think this out? What if they got into an ugly fight, and he was injured? Then he wouldn't be playing hockey, he would be unable to work, and that would snowball a whole new set of problems. He didn't seem to get it though. He just kept saying that it would have been worth it, because the guy was a jerk. Personally, I am starting to feel that anyone who gets on the ice and starts a fight, should just be taken out of the game. A few minutes in the box never seems to end it. I can't seem to rationalize why hockey has become so aggressive. Do people watch the sport for the hockey, or for the fights?