BODY CHECKING IN MINOR HOCKEY NOTICE FROM THE CANADA SAFETY COUNCIL

Recently, the president of the Canada Safety Council published a letter concerning body checking in minor hockey.

The following excerpts of the letter may raise some interesting response from die-hard fans, but the statistics make a compelling point.

According to the Canadian Institute for Health Information, 8,000 people were treated for hockey related injuries in Ontario hospital emergency rooms in the 2002-2003 season, suggesting that more than 25,000 were injured across the country.

Among young hockey players (18 and under) 62 per cent of injuries were a result of checking. Injuries caused by body checks are most common in the 14 to 16 group, after players have been exposed to checking for several years.

Seven per cent of the injured were girls and women, yet female hockey is exclusively non-contact.

The position of the CSC is that the decision to allow body checking in minor hockey could jeopardize our national sport by turning it into our most dangerous game. They suggest that allowing Atom players to check will drive young boys away from the game. The main reason kids play any sport is for fun. Hitting and the risk of serious injuries remove the motivation.

Minor hockey is a better game to watch and play without body checking. When players concentrate on skating, shooting, passing and teamwork the quality of the game improves. If players skate well, the other skills become academic.

The Canada Safety Council (CSC) is Canada's national, non profit, knowledge based safety organization. Their website is at www.safety-council.org.