Minor hockey league considers banning spectators to stop abuse

If you can't put unruly hockey parents in the penalty box... maybe the time has come to kick them all the way out of the arena. A B.C. minor hockey league is considering some extreme measures to curb behaviour that's gotten out of hand. But will it help put hot tempers on ice?

It may be the best game you can play, but why is it that the good ole hockey game gets so many otherwise civilized adults, acting out of control? Angry JulieMonday

We're heading into what will be another weekend spent at the hockey arena for tens of thousands of Canadian kids and their parents. And for all the good times that happen at the rink... it seems there are too many times parents are becoming unruly.

Hockey parents behaving badly may be a perennial problem, but now one minor league is considering a novel solution -- "Spectator Free" games are being mulled over by a Vancouver Island hockey association ... meaning that all parents, aunts and uncles, siblings and friends would be banned from the arena.

• Jim Humphrey is the President of the Vancouver Island Amateur Hockey Association.

• Blake Deschenes is a referee in Hope, BC.

Well, there is something remarkable about the transformation some parents undergo when they take their place in the stands -- Moments ago they appeared to be full grown adults.

Now, they've reverted to sputtering goons... chewing out children and teens with language they wouldn't allow at their own kitchen table. And what's even more concerning about all of this hockey rink bluster, is the effects it could have on the players themselves.

• Saul Miller is a sports psychologist in Vancouver who's worked with amateur and professional hockey players... and has written many books, including "Hockey Tough: A Winning Mental Game."

• Randy Pearcey is co-owner of the hockey school "XTreme Hockey," in St. John's Newfoundland and a member of the Newfoundland & Labrador Hockey Hall of Fame. He's been involved in the game as a player, coach, parent and referee for 45 years.

Have your say on this topic. Are you a Hockey Parent? What behaviour have you seen in arenas?

Tweet us @thecurrentcbc. Or e-mail us through our website. Find us on Facebook. Call us toll-free at 1 877 287 7366.

This segment was produced by Vancouver Network Producer, Anne Penman.