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Mandatory ‘respect’ course seen as good first step to end hockey parents’ bad behaviour

Lanny McDonald; Kevin Kobelka,Julie Booke and Shelden Kennedy at a Respect in Sports press conference, via Hockey Calgary.

The most surprising thing about an investigation into a hockey fight involving the parents of young players is that it wasn't surprising in the least.

We've seen such instances before, in various forms, whether that "hockey parent" takes out their aggression on other parents, refs and coaches or even the young players themselves.

Though an expanding program focused on educating parents about the importance of respect in sports – yes, apparently we need a class – appears to be a good step, questions remain about whether it reaches the worst offenders.

The Winnipeg Free Press reports that parents from a Winnipeg team broke the dressing room of an opposing team and attacked the coaches in front of a team of eight-year-old players during a tournament in Fargo, N.D.

A tournament organizer told the newspaper that the fight began when the mother of a player forced her way into the opposing team's dressing room with her husband in tow. The pair confronted the coaches and the husband threw the first punch. The organizer said the coaches fought back.

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Sound familiar? It might ring some bells, considering some of the headlines adult Canadians have prompted. There was this brawl between Ontario hockey parents and spectators, and this hockey coach who was jailed after tripping a 13-year-old player after a game. There are casual verbal fights in the stands, arguments in the parking lot, and the national shame-inducing moments when those spill into something even worse.

The Winnipeg melee comes at a funny time for a hockey fight, considering Winnipeg is among the Canadian jurisdictions considering implementing a mandatory online course for hockey parents.

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The Respect in Sports program originally launched in Calgary three years ago and has since expanded across Alberta and into New Brunswick and Ontario. It is under consideration as a mandatory exercise for hockey parents in Manitoba and other jurisdictions.

Respect in Sports is an online training course and certification program that "reinforces a parent's role by encouraging positive sport behaviours and providing insight into other roles, such as coaches and officials."

In short, the course reminds parents not to be aggressive fools and focus on helping children enjoy the sport. Former NHLer Sheldon Kennedy is a co-founder of the company behind the program and former Calgary Flames star Lanny McDonald is also involved in the group.

So far, more than 100,000 Canadian parents have been certified through the Respect in Sports program. In Calgary, at least one parent must be certified before a child is allowed to join a sanctioned league.

According to a study released this week, the program is seen as a good first step in the battle to curb the prevalence of unruly hockey parents. The study finds that, of more than 1,000 course participants who were surveyed, 70 per cent wanted the course to be a mandatory requirement at least every three years.

But the course may simply be preaching to the choir. It is, after all, not the majority of hockey parents that act out and misbehave. It has been a vocal and aggressive minority that besmirches the community.

Kevin Kobelka, the executive director of Hockey Calgary, told the National Post there has been a slight decrease in the number of parents that face disciplinary hearings and study author Julie Booke, of Mount Royal University, admits the course would do little to curb the worst offenders.

Still, as the course expands to more Canadian cities and provinces, there is hope that its position as a "first step" toward curbing bad behaviour can have an impact.

Consider it to be a class detention, where every child is punished for the antics of a few individuals. They are left less willing to quietly suffer the foolishness of those who misbehave, and they are more aware on how to address the issue.

Imagine a day when Canadian hockey parents are notorious for being supportive and welcoming, rather and offensive and aggressive. Most already are, we just need to single out the bad eggs.

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