HOCKEY ALBERTA’S BODY CHECKING SEMINAR RECAP AND SURVEY RESULTS
On Friday, June 8 Hockey Alberta hosted a Body Checking Seminar to kick off its Annual General Meeting in
Red Deer. The seminar was attended by over 130 representatives from minor hockey associations across the
province with the purpose of discussing how body checking should fit into hockey in Alberta.
The session featured presentations and discussion from a highly knowledgeable panel on body checking.
Specifically, information on how body checking relates to recruitment and retention, injury and player
development.
Body Checking Seminar Panelists:
Rob Litwinski – General Manager, Hockey Alberta
- An overview of Hockey Alberta’s process for reviewing body checking
Click for video
Mike Olesen – Senior Manager, Operations and Administration, Hockey Alberta
- Review of data collected from Hockey Alberta’s 2011 Concussion Summit
Click for video
Barry Medori – High Performance Coach Mentor, Hockey Alberta
- Body checking skill development overview
Click for video
Jerrold Lemko – Vice Chair, Hockey Development Committee, Hockey Alberta
- A review of Hockey Alberta’s body checking study from 2003
Click for video
Paul Carson – Vice President of Hockey Development, Hockey Canada
- Hockey Canada’s perspective on body checking and provincial branch overview on body checking
implementation
Click for video – Part 1, Part 2
Todd Millar – President, Hockey Calgary
- A review of Hockey Calgary’s 2012 body checking report and their position on removing body checking from
all peewee divisions within the city
Click for video – Part 1, Part 2
The seminar also featured a question and answer period between the membership and the panel, and a breakout session where members had the opportunity to brainstorm possible solutions for how and when body checking should be implemented in the province. As part of the workshop, members were asked to fill out a 10-question survey to indicate their position on body checking.
Hockey Alberta wants to offer all stakeholders in the game a chance to have their voice heard. Parents, coaches, officials, and volunteers are all encouraged to fill out the body checking survey to help give Hockey Alberta a complete perspective on the subject.
CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE BODY CHECKING SURVEY
Hockey Alberta will be forming a body checking review committee to assess current body checking implementation standards, options for body checking implementation and at what level (local or provincial) body checking regulation should take place. The data collected from the Hockey Alberta membership at the body checking seminar will help guide the focus of the review committee.
Currently, Hockey Alberta follows the national standard outlined in rule 6.2 in Hockey Canada’s playing rules indicating body checking is permitted beginning at the peewee level. Hockey Quebec and the Ontario Federation (OHF) are the only two branches to not allow body checking in peewee, Quebec in all levels and the OHF in house league levels. BC Hockey and Hockey Calgary both have motions put forward that need to be ratified by their board of directors to remove body checking for all levels of peewee for the 2012-13 season.
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