Junior B to wear full cages in B.C. next year

By Tyler Lowey, Times Reporter

Hockey Alberta will not be joining B.C. Hockey in their decision to make full-face protection cages mandatory for Junior B hockey teams next season.
Karin Larsen of CBC News broke a story last week revealing the decision to make the full cage — the cages players wear from Timbits Hockey all the way up to midget hockey — mandatory for their three Junior B leagues in B.C. at the start of the 2018-2019 season.
“Our game is faster than it has ever been, and, as a result, we face increased challenges and responsibilities relative to safety,” B.C. Hockey CEO Barry Petrochenko told CBC. “We are confident that, through this initiative, facial and dental injuries will be greatly reduced.”
The change will affect 42 B.C. teams, including the Fort St. John Huskies and Dawson Creek Junior Canucks who both play in Alberta’s North West Junior Hockey League.
The decision was a controversial one, to say the least.
“I was awfully shocked to see the announcement. There was no consultation with us about the rule change,” said Golden Rockets Head Coach and General Manager Jason Stephens of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League. “It was brought up at the AGM last summer with Hockey Canada insurance people saying that it was something they were looking into for the future, but we had no idea that it would take place so soon.
“I just want to see more reasoning behind the decision. They provided a few stats at the AGM, but nothing to warrant a sudden change.”
The reverberations of B.C.’s decision spread quickly into Alberta.
“I don’t agree with their decision, but it is what it is,” said assistant coach of the local Junior B Strathmore Wheatland Kings Braden Desmet, who played 177 games in the Alberta Junior Hockey League and 63 games in the Central Hockey League without a full cage. “I’ve heard there’s issues with how much dental insurance is costing them, and there are some young players in their leagues that need the protection of the full-face mask, but it’s just sad to see the direction the game is going in.”
The B.C. leagues are not the only leagues with full masks past midget hockey. All NCAA hockey is played with a full-face mask.
NCAA hockey isn’t for everyone. Many players choose a path in Junior A hockey or play for a Canadian Hockey League team, where they only wear half visors, as they try to develop their game for the professional ranks.
Removing the full cage upon graduating midget hockey and replacing it with a half visor is seen as a right-of-passage in this country; that you have successfully made it to a fairly competitive level of junior hockey. Players are older and some nearly a decade into playing hockey by the time they are eligible to enter the junior ranks at the age of 16. By then, players have presumably played in some sort of upper echelon midget hockey, and have learned how to control their bodies and sticks in a safer fashion.
“I don’t think there’re many players in those leagues who would agree with the new rule. Having the half visor is something you look forward to as a kid watching players in the NHL,” said Kings alternate captain Cole Busslinger. “I do see where they are coming from, but I think there are more cons than pros.”
Hockey Alberta has reached out following the B.C Hockey decision and they released this statement from Brad Lyon, their senior manager, communications: “Hockey Alberta continually reviews player safety concerns at all levels of hockey, and these ongoing discussions will determine if any changes are made for next year. At this point, Hockey Alberta has not identified any equipment changes for the 2018-2019 season.”
There will forever be the randomness of the puck, being shot at incredible speeds with the chance to bounce off a skate, stick or body into a player’s face, causing harm.
The stats are incredibly predictable when comparing the insurance cost to players who wear a full cage to those who only wear the half visor.
As reported in the CBC piece, Hockey Canada released stats from 2010 and 2015. Three hundred and seventy dental injuries were reported in the half visor category with claims totalling $288,000. Over the same period of time, players who wore full face protection only reported eight dental injuries with claims of just over $7,500.
On Oct. 28, Busslinger got hit in the mouth. The force from the check lacerated the inside of his mouth. Even with a mouth guard, he still sustained a minor injury. Busslinger still competes as hard as anyone on the ice, sticks his nose into the dirty areas and doesn’t shy away from blocking shots. He sees the added protection from the cage could provide more problems down the road.
“If everyone is wearing a full cage, guys will become more careless with their stick. They won’t worry about accidentally clipping people in the face as much and that could develop bad habits if people ever move on to the next level,” said Busslinger. “Fighting is also allowed in our league. If someone delivers a cheap shot, they need to be held accountable for their actions. You can’t really do that when guys are wearing the full cage.”
Junior B leagues in Alberta could benefit from the rule change in B.C.
In the KIJHL alone, there are 137 Alberta-born players scattered across active rosters in 20-team league. If players are strongly against this new rule change, they could return to their Alberta roots and replenish the talent in the local Junior B league.
The Heritage Junior Hockey League has housed the Kings for the entirety of the franchise’s existence and did not have much to say about the new issue.
“(This was the) first we have heard about this change. At this point, we have no comment on this because we have not discussed this with our teams,” HJHL Governor Gary Wournell said via email.
The HJHL has always cared about the safety of their players. The league requires players to either wear the half or full-face mask. Players have the option to protect their well-being if they so choose, by wearing a wired cage. The only time players are seen wearing the cage is if they have an injury to their face or are an affiliated player.
There is sure to be some backlash with B.C. Hockey’s decision, but players on the Kings and other Alberta Junior B teams who cherish the hockey tradition can sleep easy knowing they have at least one more season of playing without the wired cage.