The Ottawa 67’s practise in the Jack Purcell Arena. This season, if a player hits another player in the head even accidentally, they get a two-minute penalty.
A new head contact rule implemented by Hockey Canada has zero tolerance for headshots.
The rule, which came into effect at the beginning of this season, spans minor hockey leagues across the country.
It comes after a summer of speculation about superstar Sidney Crosby's return to the ice after he suffered from a concussion that left him sidelined for the latter half of last season.
Michael Carter, coach of the Ottawa Sting AA minor Bantam team, says this new rule is good for the 13-year-old boys he coaches.
“It reminds them that hockey is a physical sport but it doesn’t need to be a violent sport,” Carter says.
At the Bantam level there is bodychecking, but Carter admits it can be difficult for the boys to play tough the right way.
“It’s about trying to find a balance between physicality and trying to injure someone and also just trying to make sure that they understand that there are different parts of the body that are more vulnerable than others,” Carter says.
Before this season, hits to the head were treated like any other infraction. If the referee saw it happen, the player would be subject to a penalty.
From now on, if a player accidentally hits another player in the head they will get a two-minute penalty, and if it’s intentional, the player gets a double minor or a major penalty and could be kicked out of the game.
Richard Sennott, the executive director of the Ottawa District Hockey Association, says the rule is about making sure the players are having fun and staying safe.
“We’re saying, ‘Let’s teach the kids to play with their hands down and respect each other,’ ” Sennott says.
With the injury to Crosby and other major league players, hits to the head have been prevalent in the National Hockey League and Sennott says it’s important that the kids don’t emulate that style of play.
“We’re not here to create professional hockey players, and we’re definitely not here to imitate the professional hockey players who are in some cases, out to lunch,” Sennott says.
From a parent’s point of view, this rule couldn’t have come sooner.
Roland Wippel’s son, Stefan, plays on Carter’s team and he says the head contact rule is long overdue.
“It seems absurd to me that in a civilized society we’re still debating whether we should be allowed to have kids hit each other in the head in sports,” Wippel says.
Stefan is one of the smallest players on his Sting team, and is often subject to big hits that have an effect on his game. Wippel says a bigger change in the hockey culture is what’s needed.
“I’m okay with contact when it’s done within the rules, but the highlight reels that you see from the NHL are the ones where people are cranking each other into the boards. That’s their choice, but there’s no reason why the kids need to be hurting each other like that.”