Sask. hockey parents react to checking ban in Alberta
A ban on body checking for peewee hockey teams in Alberta has some Saskatchewan parents talking.
According to Hockey Alberta, getting rid of checking will prevent 400 concussions and more than 1,000 injuries for 11-year-old and 12-year-olds each year in the province.
Devin Malakoff has a 13-year-old son who plays peewee hockey in Milestone, Sask. He said the new rule could cause more harm than good.
"When you're playing hockey you need skills on how to skate, shoot and pass, and body contact is part of the game, and you need to develop that skill," Malakoff told CBC News. "If you take it out of pee wee it's not going to get any easier when they get to bantam — a division older."
On the other hand, Ivy Sieben, who's grandchild plays peewee hockey in Regina, said she thinks the ban is a good plan.
"We watch a lot of hockey and there are a lot of injuries," said Sieben. "A lot of children being taken off the ice."
The ban in Alberta will take effect this fall. This is the first time a provincial organization has banned body checking for all peewee-level hockey.
Ontario and Quebec have eliminated checking for some peewee teams.
