News Release
June 27, 2012
For Immediate Release
HAVE YOU COMPLETED HOCKEY ALBERTA’S BODY CHECKING SURVEY?
Red Deer, Alta – Have you completed Hockey Alberta’s survey on body checking? Hockey Alberta wants to offer all stakeholders in the game a chance to have their voice heard in regards to where body checking should fit into hockey in Alberta. Associations, parents, coaches, officials, and volunteers are all encouraged to fill out the body checking survey to help give Hockey Alberta a complete perspective on the subject. The survey will be open until Friday, July 6, 2012.
CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE BODY CHECKING SURVEY
“We’ve had a very strong response to the survey so far, but the more data we can collect from Alberta’s stakeholders in the game, the more impactful the survey will become,” said Hockey Alberta’s General Manager, Rob Litwinski. “We are encouraging all our members to fill out of the survey as well as distribute to their local members so we can get perspective from all levels of the game.”
Hockey Alberta will use the survey data to help guide the focus of a review committee that will soon be formed. The purpose of the review committee will be to assess current body checking implementation standards and options for body checking implementation.
Earlier in June, Hockey Alberta hosted a Body Checking Seminar as part of its Annual General Meeting in Red Deer. The seminar was attended by over 130 representatives from minor hockey associations across the province with the purpose of discussing how body checking should fit into hockey in Alberta.
The session featured presentations and discussion from a highly knowledgeable panel on body checking. Specifically, information on how body checking relates to recruitment and retention, injury and player development.
Body Checking Seminar Panelists:
Rob Litwinski – General Manager, Hockey Alberta
-An overview of Hockey Alberta’s process for reviewing body checking
Mike Olesen – Senior Manager, Operations and Administration, Hockey Alberta
-Review of data collected from Hockey Alberta’s 2011 Concussion Summit
Barry Medori – High Performance Coach Mentor, Hockey Alberta
-Body checking skill development overview
Jerrold Lemko – Vice Chair, Hockey Development Committee, Hockey Alberta
-A review of Hockey Alberta’s body checking study from 2003
Paul Carson – Vice President of Hockey Development, Hockey Canada
-Hockey Canada’s perspective on body checking and provincial branch overview on body checking implementation
Click for video – Part 1, Part 2
Todd Millar – President, Hockey Calgary
-A review of Hockey Calgary’s 2012 body checking report and their position on removing body checking from all peewee divisions within the city
Click for video – Part 1, Part 2
The seminar also featured a question and answer period between the membership and the panel, and a breakout session where members had the opportunity to brainstorm possible solutions for how and when body checking should be implemented in the province. As part of the workshop, members were asked to fill out the same survey to indicate their position on body checking.
Currently, Hockey Alberta follows the national standard outlined in rule 6.2 in Hockey Canada’s playing rules indicating body checking is permitted beginning at the peewee level. Hockey Quebec and the Ontario Federation (OHF) are the only two branches to not allow body checking in peewee, Quebec in all levels and the OHF in house league levels. BC Hockey and Hockey Calgary both have motions put forward that need to be ratified by their board of directors to remove body checking for all levels of peewee for the 2012-13 season.
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For more information, please visit www.hockeyalberta.ca or contact:
Mike Dennis
Manager, Communications and Marketing Services
Hockey Alberta
P: 403.342.6777
C: 403.872.9095
F: 403.346.4277
Jimmy Adams
Coordinator, Communications and Website
Hockey Alberta
P: 403.342.6777