Dropping the gloves over peewee body-checking
Posted Jun 22, 2012 7:18 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A big vote is happening Saturday on the issue of body-checking at the peewee level in Calgary.
Back in March there was an announcement calling for a ban, but on the eve of the Hockey Calgary Annual General Meeting there is some sense that decision might get checked from behind.
The March 29th headline read Hockey Calgary delays body-checking until bantam.
But that headline could prove to be premature, as the city’s 24 member associations will meet to vote on what many consider a bold move.
A number of association boards have also indicated their members don’t support the idea.
Hockey Calgary President Todd Miller has put a lot of work into what his board maintains would make the game safer for everyone.
“We anticipate a full house tomorrow and in terms of which way it’s going to go, you know what, it’s a contentious issue,” he said. “At this point in time, I could probably say it could go either way.”
Some association reps expressed concern over a perceived competitive disadvantage for Calgary players if the rest of the province isn’t on board, along with safety concerns for traveling teams.
Currently, Quebec is the only province to delay checking across the board until the bantam level.
