Peewee hockey bodychecking ban draws mixed reaction

Hockey Canada's decision to ban bodychecking at the peewee-level has prompted mixed reaction from across the country, as parents, hockey organizations and medical professionals weigh in on the ruling.

Proponents of the national ban say it will help reduce the number of injuries among children — peewee players are usually 11- or 12-year-olds — while critics say it will prevent them from learning an important skill that is part of the game. 

"I think it's good," said Daymon Eng, who was watching his son play hockey in Richmond, B.C. "There's a lot of contact later if the kids want to do it. It's a way of protecting kids. There's a lot of concussions at young ages."

Hockey Canada voted overwhelmingly to eliminate bodychecking at the peewee level during its annual general meeting in Charlottetown on Saturday. Only the Saskatchewan Hockey Association voted against the proposal.

The move follows previous bodychecking bans in peewee games by hockey associations in Quebec, Nova Scotia and Alberta.

Carolyn Emery is a physiotherapist and associate professor at the University of Calgary who authored a 2010 study that found bodychecking is linked to a threefold higher risk of concussion and other injuries among 11- and 12-year-olds. She praised the decision.

"This policy change will prevent at least 5,000 injuries and over 1,500 concussions in 11- and 12-year-old hockey players next season," Emery said in a statement released Sunday.

Minister of State for Sport Bal Gosal said the ban will give young players time to develop other skills.

"I believe it’s a good decision that helps players learn more skills," he told CBC News on Monday.

Bodychecking ban 'ridiculous'

However, critics say the ban will delay the development of much-needed skills on the ice that involve bodychecking.

"I think it's ridiculous [that] they're taking it out. Of course you're going to get injuries, but you get injuries in any sport doing anything," said Windsor Minor Hockey Association president Dean Lapierre, who added that physical contact is part of hockey.

Lapierre said the real problem isn't bodychecking itself.

"It's teaching the kids how to take a hit. Now they're not going to start checking until bantam, where you have players that went through puberty and others haven't, and they're going to be running around with all this built up aggression after not being able to check," he said.

Hockey analyst Don Cherry also weighed in on the debate during his segment on Hockey Night in Canada, saying the ban could result in more injuries because young players will not gain experience with hitting until they are older.

"But what’s going to happen is these kids are going to go up to [age] 13, and then they’re going to go in with kids that hit," the former NHL coach said Saturday.

"And they don’t know how to protect themselves, they’re going to go out there…when you’re not hitting, you have your head down."

Hockey Canada's ban on bodychecking at the peewee level will come into effect during the 2013-2014 season, which starts in September.