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NHL brawls gone and fighting way down, but few see it disappearing

The game has changed, but those playing and running it still see spot for fistcuffs in the sport
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FILE - Minnesota Wild left wing Derek Boogaard (24), left, gets hit by Edmonton Oilers left wing Steve MacIntyre in a fight during first period NHL hockey action in Edmonton, Canada on Friday Jan. 30, 2009. The deaths of old-school enforcers like Derek Boogaard and Bob Probert, who were posthumously found to have chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, has changed some minds when it comes to glorifying fighting the way it used to be. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jimmy Jeong)

Minnesota’s Marcus Foligno took a hit, delivered one of his own to Chicago’s Jarred Tinordi, and the two big guys dropped the gloves.

Outdoors in front of 82,000 people in the Meadowlands, it took even less for Matt Rempe and Matt Martin to spice up the Rangers-Islanders showdown with a fight.

But when Morgan Rielly cross-checked Ridly Greig for firing a slap shot into an empty net? Some pushing and shoving.

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