By Richard Bloom
When it comes to hockey, what’s good for Toronto isn’t always good for Ottawa.
The Ontario Minor Hockey Association, the body that oversees minor hockey from Windsor to Kingston, has decided to ban red laser pointers from all hockey games.
The lasers have a concentrated red beam of light and are now commonly used as pointers during business presentations.
The new rule in southern Ontario comes after fans pointed the beams into players’ eyes causing them to miss shots, let in goals and in some cases, lose games.
According to the rule, fans shining the beam will be ejected from the building. A gross misconduct penalty will be issued to any player or team using the pointers.
But Ottawa hockey officials aren’t following suit.
Richard Sennott, executive director of the Ottawa District Hockey Association, said though the lasers are currently not a problem, the association will consider a similar rule if there are incidents
All coaches, officials and players are to watch for the lasers and report any use to the association, said Sennott.
But things could get complicated during provincewide tournament play.
“If a team from the OMHA comes to Ottawa and uses a laser then we’ll report it back to their association,” said Sennott. “If a fan uses a laser here, first they’ll get a warning and then ejected.”
Sennott said OMHA rules apply for Ottawa-area teams when they play in southern Ontario and any infraction will be reported back to the ODHA.
The main local concern is unruly fans throwing things on the ice and abusing officials, not the laser pointers, said Sennott.
“If people ever used it here we’d call security and have them ejected,” said Lou Nistico, general manager of the Ottawa Jr. Senators.
“I don’t know if it’s effective to make a rule for the fans,” said Nistico. “The only way to ensure this type of stuff doesn’t happen is to not let any fans to the games, which obviously won’t happen.”
A Centretown optometrist said the beams can be very dangerous.
Some studies on animals showed these beams have the potential to burn the macula, the little yellow spot on the back of the eye that controls focus and colour, said Dr. Grenville Goodwin.
“If you were to focus on the beam, it can have the same burning effect as staring at an eclipse,” said Goodwin. “But the bottom line is that the lights are a severe distraction to a goalie or any athlete for that matter. It’s just not fair.”