News Article: No bodychecking will be allowed in upcoming OHL season

BruinsFanSince94

The Perfect Fan ™
Sep 28, 2017
32,709
43,379
New England


Wow. I’m all for keeping it safe but this is lunacy levels. You can’t hit each other but you can stand next to each other on a face off, sit next to each other on the bench, celebrate when you score and just have all around contact on the ice but hitting is where we draw the line?

Is this just a league taking an opportunity to remove hitting from the game in the name of “COVID”?

An utter joke.
 

Spooner st

Registered User
Jan 14, 2007
12,944
8,100


Wow. I’m all for keeping it safe but this is lunacy levels. You can’t hit each other but you can stand next to each other on a face off, sit next to each other on the bench, celebrate when you score and just have all around contact on the ice but hitting is where we draw the line?

Is this just a league taking an opportunity to remove hitting from the game in the name of “COVID”?

An utter joke.

It's not the league. The league needs monetary help from the Ontario government, their condition was we'll help if there's no physical contact. No one came up with the money to help the league. The league had no choice.
 
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Smitty93

Registered User
Dec 6, 2012
8,196
9,361


Wow. I’m all for keeping it safe but this is lunacy levels. You can’t hit each other but you can stand next to each other on a face off, sit next to each other on the bench, celebrate when you score and just have all around contact on the ice but hitting is where we draw the line?

Is this just a league taking an opportunity to remove hitting from the game in the name of “COVID”?

An utter joke.


I could have sworn that I read something that suggested this doesn't mean much right now. That's it's more negotiating than anything else. We've got 3 months until the OHL season starts, so I'm guessing this isn't the last we'll hear of this.
 
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Over the volcano

Registered User
Mar 10, 2006
34,057
18,256
Watertown
To expand the conversation a bit - they should do away with checking in youth hockey all together (maybe an exception for elite teams). We know what it does to kids, there’s just no sense in it.
 

BruinDust

Registered User
Aug 2, 2005
24,281
21,610
To expand the conversation a bit - they should do away with checking in youth hockey all together (maybe an exception for elite teams). We know what it does to kids, there’s just no sense in it.

I disagree, making body contact the exclusive territory of elite players/teams does a disservice to players in two ways:

1) It assumes every kid is on the same development curve and growth curve. A kid may be elite at a younger age, but levels off. Conversely, a kid might be a slow or late starter, and his development curve is sharp. Ed Jovanovski didn't start playing hockey until he was 11-years old, and by 18 he was the No.1 player in his age group. Development and body growth curves are so varied. I believe there should be options for players to play non-contact if that is what they so desire (not always easy in smaller communities where enrollment numbers are lower). But to make it an exclusive territory of a certain level of player is a mistake IMO. Not to mention look how much politics and money gets involved in which kids make these elite teams and which ones don't.

2) Learning how to give and receive a hit is important in both contact and non-contact hockey as there will always be incidental and accidental contact, between opponents and between teammates. It's also important learning how to recognize situations where you could put yourself, a teammate, or an opponent in a vulnerable position. For example suicide passes up the middle. I still think that even kids who play non-contact from the PeeWee age and up should be practicing/learning body contact and dangerous situations during practices even if body-checking isn't allowed in their games.
 

Over the volcano

Registered User
Mar 10, 2006
34,057
18,256
Watertown
I disagree, making body contact the exclusive territory of elite players/teams does a disservice to players in two ways:

1) It assumes every kid is on the same development curve and growth curve. A kid may be elite at a younger age, but levels off. Conversely, a kid might be a slow or late starter, and his development curve is sharp. Ed Jovanovski didn't start playing hockey until he was 11-years old, and by 18 he was the No.1 player in his age group. Development and body growth curves are so varied. I believe there should be options for players to play non-contact if that is what they so desire (not always easy in smaller communities where enrollment numbers are lower). But to make it an exclusive territory of a certain level of player is a mistake IMO. Not to mention look how much politics and money gets involved in which kids make these elite teams and which ones don't.

2) Learning how to give and receive a hit is important in both contact and non-contact hockey as there will always be incidental and accidental contact, between opponents and between teammates. It's also important learning how to recognize situations where you could put yourself, a teammate, or an opponent in a vulnerable position. For example suicide passes up the middle. I still think that even kids who play non-contact from the PeeWee age and up should be practicing/learning body contact and dangerous situations during practices even if body-checking isn't allowed in their games.
You’re right on #1 - I don’t think it should be allowed for elite either then.

#2 makes sense - but would make sense at whatever level we want to begin allowing it. Whether it’s 21 years, 18years old or 13 years old or 11 like it was jus a few years ago. We know what it does, and we know kids brains are in key stages of development in the teen years. If it’s a choice they want to make as adults then have at it, but for kids it’s borderline abuse.
 
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wintersej

HFBoards Sponsor
Sponsor
Nov 26, 2011
21,969
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North Andover, MA
Going by the evidence in Mass and the 50 odd clusters of Covid related to hockey leagues in the extremely brief time they were open this summer, they are going to need answers to make this work, especially with CHL aged kids.

But this isn’t the answer lol.
 

BruinDust

Registered User
Aug 2, 2005
24,281
21,610
It's about using COVID as a pretext to advance an agenda to remove hitting and fighting from hockey.

This is the same government that in a bill to remove the legal liability for organizations if they do all the recommended restrictions to prevent COVID, slipped in an item on the bill making ranked ballots in municipal elections illegal in Ontario. Now ask yourself, what does ranked ballots have to do with COVID?

This is the same government that in a bill to remove red tape for businesses due to the economic impact of COVID, add in an item allowing a Christian School operated by a Ford donor and supporter to become a degree-granting university without going through the proper channels.
 
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DominicT

Registered User
Sep 6, 2009
19,982
33,621
Stratford Ontario
dom.hockey


Wow. I’m all for keeping it safe but this is lunacy levels. You can’t hit each other but you can stand next to each other on a face off, sit next to each other on the bench, celebrate when you score and just have all around contact on the ice but hitting is where we draw the line?

Is this just a league taking an opportunity to remove hitting from the game in the name of “COVID”?

An utter joke.


This has nothing to do with the league, it's Ontario's sports minister Lisa MacLeod (who isn't a hockey fan) saying that the OHL has to remove hitting if they are going to allow their return to play plan.

Who knows where the situation will be in February. She has no jurisdiction over the three US based teams and can NOT enforce that when it comes to Erie, Saginaw and Flint.

The OHL is in talks with the Ontario Government and they will absolutely insist they can not remove hitting from the game.

This is NOT a league thing, but a government thing by a Sports Minister that doesn't understand the game.
 

BruinDust

Registered User
Aug 2, 2005
24,281
21,610
This has nothing to do with the league, it's Ontario's sports minister Lisa MacLeod (who isn't a hockey fan) saying that the OHL has to remove hitting if they are going to allow their return to play plan.

Who knows where the situation will be in February. She has no jurisdiction over the three US based teams and can NOT enforce that when it comes to Erie, Saginaw and Flint.

The OHL is in talks with the Ontario Government and they will absolutely insist they can not remove hitting from the game.

This is NOT a league thing, but a government thing by a Sports Minister that doesn't understand the game.

Has Lisa MacLeod ever seen a game of hockey? I have my doubts.

She's either pushing her own agenda here or pushing the agenda of the Ford Government.
 

McGarnagle

Yes.
Aug 5, 2017
28,435
37,672
Has Lisa MacLeod ever seen a game of hockey? I have my doubts.

She's either pushing her own agenda here or pushing the agenda of the Ford Government.

From her wikipedia:

On February 13, 2019, the National Post reported that Ontario Association for Behaviour Analysts (ONTABA) had received a threatening message from MacLeod's office. In the email, ONTABA was directed to make a public statement in support of the changes to the Ontario Autism Program or face "four long years". MacLeod further threatened that if the message of support was not forthcoming, her office would release a press statement labeling ONTABA as "self-interested".[24] Immediate calls from parents of children with autism[25] for MacLeod's resignation were rebuffed by the minister.[26] On October 31, 2019, Warren Kinsella told The Globe and Mail that his firm provided strategic advice and media training for the government to MacLeod and her political staff in 2018 when dealing with the cuts.[27]
MacLeod was later demoted from Minister of Children, Community and Social Services to Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport in 2019. An internal review of the overhauled autism program by fellow Progressive Conservative MPP Roman Baber called for an immediate reset to MacLeod’s program, as it would leave families “destitute”.[1]
In June/July 2019, at a music concert, Minister MacLeod allegedly publicly said to Eugene Melnyk "I am your minister and you’re a f***ing piece of shit and you’re a f***ing loser." The context was about a National Hockey League franchise business decision that was followed by poor performance and standings by the Ottawa Senators team. There was some backlash in media after a personal complaint by Mr. Melnyk to Ontario Premier Doug Ford, and an apology by Minister MacLeod was not accepted.[28][29]

She sounds like a great, well-adjusted public servant.
 

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