North Dakota fans in middle of KKK uproar

Definitely not what's meant when hockey fans are asked to dress for a white-out in stands. Kids in North Dakota decided dressed in Ku Klux Klan garb was cool. It was not.
It is a sensitive issue for American society - and maybe especially so for hockey which is trying to grow in appeal for young athletes and fans beyond the traditional base of white families.
In the U.S., where high school hockey is the big show and not community-based minor hockey as it is in Canada, the sport is largely white. Only a handful of non-white athletes play in the NHL, and most of these are from Canada.
This will change, but the effort isn't helped by the antics of these North Dakota kids.

High school girls busted for duct tape tops

Catholic high school hockey fans show their
 team spirit in Windsor. (Jenna Brimner photo)

Part of the fun of teen hockey is being a fan, particularly at the high school level where pride and passion in the stands are a bigger part of the mix than in most minor hockey games.
Girls in Windsor, Ont., thought they were having appropriate fun at an annual game between rival schools last month. But when they returned to school after the Christmas break, they found their school pride duct tape tops had run afoul of sober school officials.
Taken aback by the skin show of the Catholic teens in previous years, the school had specifically banned duct tape shirts spelling out support for their team. This year's girls tried to address the concerns of administration while still keeping up the tradition by wearing conservative T-shirts under their duct tape creations.
School officials suspended the fans for a day and have put them on "watch", according to a CBC TV report.
Administrators, of course, are being boring sticks in the mud. Compared to young fans at warm weather high school football games, this was nothing. It's not an issue of wearing duct tape clothing. It's the fact the teens outsmarted and creatively addressed the concerns of school administration - and adults don't like being shown up by young people.
Lighten up. Sports is meant to be fun for fans and athletes alike.
Here's the link to the CBC website version of the story.

Canadian high school rejects hockey team

Not sure what country Stouffville is in, but it must not be Canada. How else can you explain the fact that it scrubbed its high school hockey team?
Seriously, Stouffville is north of Toronto and has a lively hockey program. But for some reason, the local high school thought it couldn't muster a suitable senior team this year, much to the ire of this hockey dad quoted on yorkregion.com. Read the full article by clicking here.
In London a decade ago there was outrage when a labour issue - teachers refused to be volunteer coaches - deep-sixed the season.
High school hockey is not as big a deal in Canada as it is in the United States. The elite players - those aiming for a pro career or scholarships - are busy playing major junior in leagues such as the OHL. Still, high school hockey is usually one of the premier sports in the schools. Some offer hockey to cover the entire spectrum from varsity senior girls and boys to house league.
Of course, here in London the St. Thomas Aquinas Flames rule the high school scene. Not that I'm biased.