Hockey Alberta's recent decision to ban body checking at the peewee level has people talking in Saskatchewan.
Some are for the decision to get rid of body checking at the peewee level, but the majority seems to be dead against it.
Take former NHLer and Yorkton Harvest coach Jeff Odgers for example - he doesn't see any upside in waiting to the bantam level to start body checking.
"I think it was the wrong move by Alberta to take body checking away from the peewee level," he said. "It's part of the game and the kids are taught to protect themselves from hits. Sure, some injuries will happen, but that's because it's a physical sport. If parents don't want their kids to get the odd bump or bruise, they shouldn't put them in hockey. Some people are trying to turn the game into a glorified shinny league. But that's not how the sport is supposed to be played."
Minor hockey coach and Prince George Cougars scout Jason Gordon, meanwhile, doesn't believe taking body contact out of peewee will help players improve other aspects of their game.
"I don't believe taking away the body checking will help players improve on skating or puck handling at all," he said. "Checking improves players skating because it helps balance. To be a good checker, you have to be a good skater. And body contact helps kids learn how to handle the puck with their head up. They need the checking to work on keeping their head up while handling the puck."
Hockey Alberta claims body checking at the peewee level will eliminate 400 concussions and more than 1,000 injuries for 11- and 12-year-olds each year in Alberta.
These statistics, however, seem to be a shot-in-the-dark projection and aren't telling the whole story.
Since players won't be learning how to hit at the peewee level, they will be developing a lot of bad habits such as keeping their head down with the puck on their stick. This could lead to dangerous injuries at the bantam level because instead of learning the hard way against a 13-year-old who stands 5-foot-4, 125-pounds, it could be a 15-year-old with a 6-foot, 180-pound frame. Therefore, injuries may decrease at the peewee level, but they will undoubtedly skyrocket at the bantam level. It is simply a recipe for disaster.
The best way to prevent injuries is to educate coaches on how to teach their players to absorb and throw a hit.
"Coaches are vital to helping young players learn to take a hit and give a hit," said Gordon, who teaches a Hockey Skills Academy in Yorkton. "If you know to brace yourself for a hit and properly throw a hit, not too many injuries should happen. That's something coaches and Hockey Canada should be and are focusing on."
As it stands, it appears Saskatchewan won't be following the footsteps of Alberta.
"I don't see Saskatchewan Hockey following suit with Hockey Alberta, unless there is some kind of move across the country that makes it mandatory," said Kelly McClintock, SHA's general manager. "This has been a debate for a long time across the country and SHA has had a consensus that Saskatchewan wants body contact in peewee."
Sask. use to start body checking at the atom level (10-11 year-olds), but Hockey Canada limited the age level to peewee a couple years ago.
In an online poll on when to start body checking in Saskatchewan on the SHA website, 33 per cent has voted in favour of atom, 28 per cent for peewee , and 22 per cent for bantam.
The debate on whether the body checking age is too low or too high will never stop.
Although Hockey Canada and the SHA should try to keep the injuries down to a minimum, as they are, it seems some parents want them to completely change the game so little Johnny won't have to use the icepack throughout the year. These parents need to realize injuries are a part of the game. It's unrealistic to go through an entire hockey season without a bump or a bruise.
Instead of trying to bubble wrap the hard-nosed game that hockey is, these parents should move on to a softer sport that fits their needs. Not everyone is cut out for minor hockey.
