In light of a trial that took place this past August, which left a recreational hockey league participant in Ottawa to pay $5,000 and serve 18 months of probation, the safety and liability of players in rec leagues across Ottawa has come into question.
In March of 2012 a player was charged with aggravated assault after colliding with an opponent, knocking him unconscious.
Though incidental contact is common in recreational leagues and in hockey in general, intentional hits are where the line of right and wrong becomes blurry.
“There is always going to be incidental contact in hockey with people going for the puck, however in this case, I think we are talking about a violent, deliberate contact with an intent to injure,” says Joshua Shaw, the Adult Hockey League Coordinator at Carleton University, “I believe we have a good handle on when there is intent and things are not an accident.”
Shaw believes the trial will set a precedent to show that things on the ice can escalate to the court room.
Given the violence of the case and the fact that hockey, in most cases, comes with contact, Shaw believes it is still possible to guarantee a safe environment for the players.
“You have to take measures in terms of level officiating and have appropriate referees out there, they have to make the calls to penalize actions on the ice that are deemed unsafe,” says Shaw.
To John Farah, the manager of the Lizards, a team in the Carleton Adult Hockey League (CAHL), most players understand and abide by the rules of the league.
“It’s definitely safe and most of the players understand and respect other players and make sure there’s no intentional hitting,” explains Farah.
The Carleton Adult Hockey League website states, “An attempt to injure is an automatic match penalty, regardless of whether it causes injury or not, and will be reviewed by the League Manager.”
The rule goes on to states, “The pending results of the injury will be considered by the League Manager and will determine if additional discipline is necessary.”
Casey McGowan of the MIIG Jets, another team in the CAHL, agrees to the fact that hockey comes with contact and that there has to be due diligence by the league in order to guarantee the players safety.
“There is contact with hockey, but it is contact that comes from the sport itself, it’s not coming from anger, I think there is a difference between fighting for the puck and taking a cheap shot,” explains McGowan.
According to McGowan, how to play a safe and fun game of hockey should be taught at a young age.
“I think it starts with being a parent to a child growing up in the hockey environment. You should teach them how to respect other players, to get that competitive edge, but to get that in the right manner.”
The right manner, in McGowan’s words, is being competitive, but without the use of cheap shots or aggression.
“We try to make it fun, we try to make sure no one retaliates,” says Farah, “We try to make sure we always play a level headed game.”
