"According to statistics released by the NHL, fighting is down 42 percent from its average during the 2003-04 season. There were 227 major penalties through the first 264 NHL games this season, down from 393 over the same span during the 2003-04 campaign."
Attendance is up. Must not be in your definition "true fans".
Goals per game are up.
It would appear that what attracts you to the game is not what attracts everyone to the game.
And if you want to compare Brashier to a REAL goon like Dave Schultz of the Flyers you'll see there is no comparison. In the 74-75 season he played 76 games had 9 goals, 17 assists and 472 penalty minutes! In his career with the Flyers for every goal he scored he spent 26 minutes in the box!
The goon is a dying breed. With tight payrolls and rules that help protect the stars there's no room for players that don't produce.
I'm from Minnesota and you ask if I've ever been to a hockey game?
I got my first hockey stick at 5...2 years after I got my first pair of skates.
