The role of fighting in the NHL has shifted dramatically over the past several decades. Once a defining feature of the sport, dropping the gloves is no longer a nightly expectation. The modern game ...

Thanks in part to boxing coach Sergey Novikov, far left, the Rangers' Igor Shesterkin handled the Devils' Jakob Markström in a recent bout. Courtesy of Sergey Novikov; Joshua Sarner / Icon Sportswire ...

Connor Murphy and Yakov Trenin drop the gloves in a game in late November. David Banks / Imagn Images DALLAS — Connor Murphy’s stick was wedged in Joel Eriksson Ek’s armpit as they battled for a puck ...

From the 1970s through the early 2000s, players dropping the gloves was as native to hockey as a crowd-pleasing dangle. Fighting was a core pillar of the sport and part of the game’s cultural identity ...