Shouldn’t Hockey Fights Be Categorized As Assault? [POLL]

We got a very interesting call today on 'More Than Just Talk'. With the NHL back, many people are excited, but we want to bring up this issue.

A listener brought this to our attention: If regular people were to break out into a fight in public, like hockey players, we would be charged with assault! How come it's not the same for hockey players. The game shields them, but should it? Some of those fights can be pretty serious, and results in some serious bruises.