Officials come down hard on Parry Sound midgets

Officials came down hard on the Parry Sound major midget team following a wild party on Canadian Thanksgiving weekend.
All but two players were suspended for the rest of the season. The two who did not get suspended were not at the party, according to a Canadian Press story posted on the CBC website.
The team's coaches were suspended for three years.
Fair? I think so based on the news reports I've read.
Too bad the OMHA didn't post a statement on its website about this incident and the penalties imposed. Not doing so missed a chance to communicate on an important issue to minor hockey players and parents.
And to point out to players and parents that there are consequences for bad choices.
It's my guess that there's much more of this type of behavior out there. The difference this time is that it got appropriate publicity.
A decade ago, there was a debate in our daily newspaper newsroom about whether or not to pursue a story about the underage drinking exploits of a local high school hockey team - the players would be the same age as the Parry Sound midgets. The high school team's season came to an abrupt end when players were caught drinking at a tournament in Maritime Canada, ending any championship aspirations. The story was never written because of how it would affect the relationship between the newspaper and high school in a small, tight knit community.
Fortunately, the Parry Sound situation got the publicity it deserved.