Strathmore Minor Hockey to implement ban on peewee bodychecks

Times Reporter  

 

After many years of debate, Hockey Alberta has made the decision to disallow bodychecking in peewee hockey. This will be enforced come the fall 2013 season, and affects 4,000 players across the province. Instead of facing hits at ages 11 or 12, players will wait until bantam ages of 13 to 15.

“It’s a ground-breaking thing, I’m surprised, “ Keith Klemmensen said, head coach of the Peewee Wheatland Braves. “I probably disagree but the Hockey Alberta Board has the studies to make the decision.” 

The University of Calgary ran a study showing that peewees were at three times the risk of injury, and at four times the risk of concussion, in comparison to Quebec players of the same age, where peewee checking has been outlawed since 1985. Though Hockey Saskatchewan is keeping hits in their peewee leagues, Nova Scotia recently followed in Alberta’s footsteps.

This past season’s Peewee Director for Strathmore Minor Hockey, Doug Raycroft, hasn’t discussed how to go about this issue with his board yet, but as it’s a Hockey Alberta rule, it must be put in place.

“I know Hockey Alberta doesn’t want to take any unnecessary risks with kids,” said Raycroft. “This is just something we’re going to have to accept and do our best with. I know a lot of hockey people are initially going to say, well if my player is going to be coming in the bantam now, I know the concerns are going to be how am I going to prepare?” 

Wheatland Kings Coach and General Manager Doug Murphy is someone who has such views: “In peewee there’s certainly size discrepancies, and in bantam those discrepancies are more pronounced.” He believes that keeping contact at the peewee level will be more beneficial to the players.

Doug Raycroft understands the reasons behind the ruling, and says as long as the same introductory contact that would be introduced in peewee is now introduced in bantam, he doesn’t think there’s any reason that we won’t be able to prepare our kids.

“That’s an important part to injury prevention. Just making sure the players know how to take hits and give hits properly in a safe way,” said Raycroft. “Those things need to be taught really well and I think we do a good job of that.”

With these safety changes, more players will hopefully be able to be recruited and kept in minor hockey, as their parents’ minds will be put at more ease.