It isn't what the Saskatchewan Hockey Association wanted. It disregards the big picture of injuries. And it's another step towards completely bubble wrapping hockey. But all of that was swept under the rug when Hockey Canada's board of directors voted to eliminate bodychecking from the peewee level this past Saturday.
Obviously, the reason behind this war on bodychecking is to lower injuries, especially concussions. This ultimately will happen at the peewee level. There is no denying that.
When Hockey Alberta banned body checking at the peewee level, they claimed it would eliminate 400 concussions and more than 1,000 injuries for 11- and 12-year-olds each year in Alberta.
The main reason for the jump in injuries from atom to peewee is that the youngsters are learning how to take and give a hit. It is a learning a process that entails some bumps and bruises.
But let's take a step back and use common sense for a moment. Would you want your son to learn how to drive in a Chevrolet Camaro or a Toyota Corolla? I'm assuming you're thinking Corolla since it doesn't catch speed as fast and is built to handle an accident safer. Then why would you want your son to learn bodychecking at the bantam level? It's faster, the players are bigger, and the injuries tend to be more severe than in peewee. A small bruise in peewee from a lesson learned in bodychecking could turn into a horrific injury at the bantam level. After all, in this age group there are 5-foot, 100-pound players lining up against 6-foot-2, 200-pound players. Not to mention, players will develop bad habits in peewee such as keeping their head down with the puck that they will likely carry over to bantam. The writing is on the wall for serious injuries to skyrocket in bantam with them having no prior bodychecking experience.
The SHA has been vocal about wanting to keep bodychecking in peewee, let alone atom. As mentioned above though, Hockey Canada went over their heads in this decision.
Here is what Kelly McClintock, Saskatchewan Hockey Association's general manager, said on the issue in early May, "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. 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."
The onus for bodychecking is on the coaches and Hockey Canada to educate the bench bosses. It is their responsibility to inform and teach the young athletes.
Now let's face it, there are some great coaches in minor hockey, but there are some very poor ones as well. For the most part, the poor coaches did not want to be behind the bench in the first place, but they stepped up to the plate because no one else wanted to. Good on them for being a team player; however, they have to understand that they can be the difference in a player bouncing off a check or separating his/her shoulder.
The players also need to be held to a higher accountability. There is an evident lack of respect for the game in minor hockey nowadays. Some youngsters play as though the purpose of bodychecking is to separate the head from the shoulder not the man from the puck. This is, however, the coaches and parents' responsibility to change the players' mindsets. There is a lack of discipline in minor hockey from the coaches. This usually stems from parents not wanting their kid to suffer the consequences of their actions because, you know, their kid didn't mean throw out that knee or take a 50-foot run at his opponent; little Johnny would never do anything like that because he's a "good boy." Therefore, since it seems parents won't let coaches raise the discipline stakes, Hockey Canada should put in more severe suspensions and penalties. For example, I believe taking a run at a player, no different from a hit from behind, should be a game misconduct. The second time around, it should be a 3-game suspension. And if it happens again, the player should be suspended for the remainder of the season.
So where does minor hockey go from here? Just wait, in a year or two when little Johnny gets hurt from not knowing how to take a bodycheck at the bantam level, his parents will want Hockey Canada to ban bodychecking at the bantam level. And before you know it, there will be some petition to ban bodychecking from all levels of minor hockey because it's too "dangerous."
The bottom line is parents need to understand hockey entails bumps, bruises, and the odd trip to the hospital. The game will always include some injuries no matter how hard they try to bubble wrap it.
