If Hockey Canada is considering a nation-wide ban on body checking in bantam and midget house-league hockey, it’s news to Paul Carson.
The HC vice-president of development checked into last week’s article in the Cochrane Eagle (Reduced contact eyed for bantam and midget, April 30, page 40), which reported HC is considering removing body checking from house-league bantam (13-14 year olds) and midget (15-17) hockey across Canada.
The Eagle head-manned the puck too far on that play and was called offside.
Carson clarified.
“Hockey Canada deals with rules and regulations specific to age levels and not divisions within age levels,” he corrected. “Divisions within age levels are the responsibility of the regulatory bodies at the local, regional and branch levels. Hockey Canada has set the regulation for when body checking can first be introduced at the bantam age level. Further definition within age category is managed at the branch and/or member partner level.”
Hockey Canada’s position gives local hockey associations the flexibility to provide a choice of body-checking or non-body-checking divisions within the bantam/midget age groups. It’s why Airdrie is able to remove body-checking at its bantam/midget house levels and Cochrane can keep full contact.
“Hockey Canada does encourage minor hockey associations, leagues and governing bodies to consider both non-body-checking and body-checking options for players in the bantam levels and above,” Carson related.
“We certainly believe that families would like to have that choice.”
Again, those choices are left to the local and regional associations, not HC.
He went on to say HC’s decision to remove body checking in Canadian peewee hockey (up to age 12) two years ago is receiving favourable reviews.
“It has been successful and met with a lot of good comments,” Carson said. “We certainly see, as an organization, that the benchmark has been set at not introducing it (body checking) until kids are 13 years of age in a competitive environment.”
