CHECKING STOPPED

Checking Stopped
by Lamont Buford
5-28-13

Courtesy of www.jeffkrush.com

Hockey as we know is a physical sport and a fundamental part of the game is. But when should kids who are learning and playing this game start taking these types of hits on the ice? The governing body in Canada has said not until after they are out of the PeeWee level.

Last Saturday, the governing body voted 42-2 to remove body checking from the PeeWee level and below. They felt that this decision would minimize the risk of injury. They also say the main factors for the decision was that proper checking techniques needed to be taught.

Beginning in 2013-14, all body-checking from the PeeWee levels and below within leagues governed by Hockey Canada will be removed. "We're really looking at the skill of checking, and body-checking is the last stage," said Bob Nicholson, Hockey Canada President and IIHF Vice President. "We're going to really emphasize how to teach checking at a young age...We want to teach it but also we want to teach kids how to take a check." (Canada, 2013).

In addition to this rule change, a committee has been directed to build a mandatory national checking and instructional resource program to maintain the progressive execution of checking skills at the Novice to PeeWee levels and help prepare players for body-checking starting at the Bantam (13 and 14 year-old) level.

The decision was met with mixed reactions all over but was praised by USA Hockey, which changed the age of body-checking in the US over three years ago  to the age of 14.

"We encourage teaching the fundamentals of checking at the PeeWee level, just no checking in games is allowed," said Dave Fisher, Communications Director at USA Hockey.

*Below is a graphic showing Canad's body-checking age as well as those of other countries:

Reference; Canada, H. (2013, May 28). Canada bans u13 checking. Retrieved from

http://www.iihf.com/home-of-hockey/news/news-singleview/recap/7969.html?tx_ttnews[backPid]=187&cHash=6971c85528

AFFTON AMERICANS MIDGET MAJOR NATIONAL CHAMPIONS

photo courtesy of www.hockeystopnews.com

The Affton Americans Midget Major Central States Development Hockey team finished the 2012-13 hockey season with a number two ranking and a U18 Tier II 3A national championship.

Affton was ranked No. 1 for most of the season but found out that they had to change classes shortly before the tournament. They were moved into a class with more hockey rich teams from Michigan, Massachusetts, Illinois, Ohio and New York.

The Americans had to play four of the top 10 teams en route to the championship, including the number one team in the rankings, the Sylvania (OH) Maple Leafs. They lost in their first pool play game after starting the game off with a 2-0 lead. After giving up three goals in the third, the teams’ eyes were opened and focus regained.

The top two ranked in the nation matched up in the quarterfinals and Affton dominated the game, 4-1.  The Americans would only give up three goals, all against ranked teams, in the playoff rounds, all of which were in the last five minutes of the games.

In the final two games, the Americans defeated the Wonderland (CT) Wizards, the No. 10 ranked team) 4-1 in the semifinals and the Chicago (IL) Bruins, the No. 4 ranked team, 3-1 to win the National Title.