No hurt hockey for Canadian kids?

The debate over body checking in minor hockey is back in Canada.
For years, the norm in most areas of the country was to introduce body checking at age 11. Now, many ban it from house leagues at all age levels. Some want it banned for all skill levels until age 16.
The rationale is clear enough: No one wants kids to be hurt playing a sport.
If only kids would be coached - or would follow the instructions of coaches - to use body contact effectively as part of the game strategy and not as an intimidation technique.
When my son grew out of competitive hockey and into house league juvenile, the game seemed lacking, sometimes silly ... but safer. Definitely quieter, from the sound of the boards to the behaviour of the parents/fans.
I doubt body contact will be eliminated from elite Canadian AAA minor hockey and doubt it should be. Can you seriously imagine arriving in major junior at age 16 having never played rough-and-tumble contact hockey?
For everyone else, the game might be ready to evolve into one of skating and shooting ... and no body checking.

Ontario teen loses it after ejection

OK, so there's a lot of pressure on major junior teens in Canada. But I bet young Mr. Hutchinson of the Kingston Frontenacs would like a mulligan for how he acted in front of fans and, more importantly a camera held by a YouTube account holder.

2012 NHLPA Goals & Dreams Cup (Honouring Rick Rypien)

Teen goalie pays heavy price for his style

Is the chase of an pro hockey career worth this? A talented, athletic Toronto teen has undergone multiple surgeries with more on the horizon all from playing and practising the butterfly goaltending style, says the Toronto Star.

Coach jailed for tripping player

Remember the British Columbia hockey coach who purposely tripped a kid when they were lined up to shake hands? The kid broke his wrist when he fell.
Now the "coach" is in jail - 15 days to be served weekends.
Which is OK, 'cause he isn't spending time at the rink anymore.
Here's the link to the CBC story.

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.

Midget breaks neck in Toronto game

The most evil play in minor hockey. Here's why it is banned. http://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/2013/02/19/midget_junior_player_suffers_broken_neck_after_check_from_behind.html

Young hockey teammates die in plane crash

Imagine the sadness as a Manitoba atom team vows to keep playing its season after three of its young players were killed in a plane accident.

Boy dies on outdoor rink

Tragic news out of Quebec this weekend as a nine-year-old boy was found dead on an outdoor hockey rink, trapped under a net. It appears he was alone, trying to drag the heavy net into place to play a game he loved.
Here's a link to a Sun Media story.

Game on, despite snowstorm

It's the biggest snowstorm in years in Southwestern Ontario and yet one of the provinces' biggest girls' hockey tournaments carries on at the Western Fair Sports Centre.
By contrast, all minor hockey games up the 401 in Toronto are cancelled.
The push to play through winter storms is why careful thinking hockey parents invest in winter tires and, often, AWD SUVs. Check out the parking lot on a tournament weekend around here and you'll see SUVs outnumbering soccer mom mini-vans by a wide margin.
Always thought winter tournaments should be sponsored by Michelin, Toyo or Goodyear to push their much-needed snow and ice radials.