Having seen my share of midget minor hockey games and the coaches some teams have, I have no trouble believing it might be true that a coach in Winnipeg include a tutorial in uppercuts for his 16- and 17-year-old players.
The first report detailed how players gathered in a circle and told to fight whomever they like with one boy suffering a concussion during the practice fight.
An investigation by Manitoba Hockey concluded there was no evidence available that the fight drill took place and no evidence as to when during the practice the boy suffered his concussion.
For his part, the coach says he was just offering advice on how the teens could defend themselves after a series of fights "provoked by the other teams" in recent games. Even that is against minor hockey rules, where referees are supposed to be keeping things sporting.
Sounds to me like the coach has his heart in the right place and has the loyalty and backing of his players. But his methods are flawed. The real way to win a minor hockey fight is to skate away, hope the other kid gets a penalty or two, and score on the ensuring power play.
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