It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game.
So goes the age-old bit of wisdom that many parents and coaches have passed down to young players in an effort to promote good sportsmanship.
Unfortunately, it seems more and more like those words are going unheeded – at least where hockey is involved.
Last week, a teenaged boy was convicted of aggravated assault for an on-ice incident in which he hit another player with a stick – after the whistle had blown – causing that player significant internal injuries.
This should raise alarm bells for young hockey players and the parents of those players throughout the world, and especially here in Alberta where hockey is such a significant part of our culture.
Just last week a careful observer at the Jubilee Arena in Westlock would have noticed an after-the-whistle slash that had at least one player and coach shaking their heads.
One can assume, of course, that if the referees had seen the act, the perpetrator might well have found himself thrown out of the game. Unfortunately, referees can’t be everywhere at once.
And, of course, they don’t have the benefit of instant replays to determine if there was actually any foul play.
So whose responsibility is it to enforce a certain degree of professionalism on the ice? Certainly there are no parents, coaches or players who are advocating this kind of inexcusable behaviour. Regardless, though, it is still happening.
Physical contact is a part of the game, there can be no denying that. A clean body check to knock a member of the opposing team off the puck is a perfectly acceptable. But there is a line, and all too often young players are crossing it with little or no repercussions.
We obviously can’t eliminate the various risks that players are exposed to on the ice. At the same time, however, there is no excuse for any player willfully adding to those risks, and there is no excuse for parents, coaches and referees letting them get away with it.
The recent court decision was a good one, and every player, parent, coach and referee should know that while some degree of physical contact is to be expected, an errant poke-check or slash after the whistle can and will have serious repercussions.
Many of us are proud to call hockey our national pastime, so let’s make sure we’re teaching the younger generation to play it with honour.
