With safety and participation in mind, the Ontario Hockey Federation has opted to ban body checking for all age groups in house and select minor hockey leagues.
This is a good thing.
It allows parents to rest easy and for a more broad spectrum of kids to get involved with hockey, focusing on the fun of skating and puck handling without worrying about getting smoked by someone with a body size advantage. It brings house league into line with adult beer leagues, where exercise and fun are the order of the day, not fantasies about playing in the NHL.
Appropriately, body checking remains part of the complete game in competitive leagues where the level of skating skill, anticipation and coordination is higher and where kids can do a better job of protecting themselves.
The move also creates two distinct products for kids and parents to choose, without giving up on hockey totally.
The OHF news release can be read here.
This is a good thing.
It allows parents to rest easy and for a more broad spectrum of kids to get involved with hockey, focusing on the fun of skating and puck handling without worrying about getting smoked by someone with a body size advantage. It brings house league into line with adult beer leagues, where exercise and fun are the order of the day, not fantasies about playing in the NHL.
Appropriately, body checking remains part of the complete game in competitive leagues where the level of skating skill, anticipation and coordination is higher and where kids can do a better job of protecting themselves.
The move also creates two distinct products for kids and parents to choose, without giving up on hockey totally.
The OHF news release can be read here.
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