Fighting in hockey

I didn't want to thread-jack the thread about Avery, so I thought I'd start a different one. Being from an area where I grew up without hockey (the only ice we had was in the freezer or in mixed drinks!), I don't have the background to understand why fighting is such a necessity in "upper level" hockey games. Although some in the other thread have commented on my question about it there, it still hasn't been explained why fighting is necessary, even encouraged (particularly by some hockey fans). Is it really that much a part of the game that it can't be stopped and still enjoy a spirited high quality hockey game?
And I don't buy into the "tradition" argument. Hockey players are on the ice with 3 potentially lethal weapons under their control (a hockey stick and two skates with sharpened edges). Is it going to take someone to get killed in a fight (when they finally hit the ice and one skate accidentally slices into a neck) for it to be stopped?
And what about the injuries that happen during a fight? Broken or badly sprained hands, busted jaws, eye injuries, etc. If they were the result of fighting (read not being the result of playing "hockey") and that person has to sit out 6 weeks to repair the damage, why is that person paid while he's not contributing to the club? I don't get it.
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