Body-checking ban passed in Vancouver minor hockey

Good call. Checking has no place in house league or rec games...keep the checking to the serious players and leagues.

At what level does one become "serious" or make the progression to the "serious" level without proper practice?

Methinks professionals train a bit more than minors and recreational players. Plenty of time to train them doing it right. I agree with OTI.

How about teaching kids to hit properly and how to take a hit. I have no problem with rec leagues but MINOR hockey should be teaching all aspects of the game.

Bad call.

Actually they are drafted into Major Junior at age 15 and by 16 some will play with, and against 20 and 21 year old men. That is too late to start preparing if you haven't already played contact. Besides there would be little chance of moving up if you haven't already been seen playing in that environment.

I believe there should be bodychecking in rep hockey, right from novice up, but bodychecking should be removed from all local-league/houseleague hockey. Houseleague calibre players, even by midget age and who've had 6 or 8 years of minor hockey experience, aren't strong enough on their skates to safely play contact hockey. As 2Cdo and Regina both said, kids need to learn confindence in contact and how to take a check at early ages. But that should be only for the kids who are going to play rep hockey.

Actually they are drafted into Major Junior at age 15 and by 16 some will play with, and against 20 and 21 year old men. That is too late to start preparing if you haven't already played contact. Besides there would be little chance of moving up if you haven't already been seen playing in that environment.
You can prepare them, teach it, train them, but does not mean you should allow it during games until a certain age and level. You could allow it only in prof-games (played by people who can actually afford to be disabled for life just because they get paid a shitload of money)

You could also just ban it completely.

*is waiting to be burned and trash talked*

How exactly does one make it to the pro's, if they can't start hitting until they are in the AHL as you seen to think as a good development module? Many are in the pro's BECAUSE of their ability to hit people.

Taking hitting out of minor hockey is a mistake. By introducing it in Bantam as many areas do, you have 14 year olds who have matured early and are in some cases 6 footer plus and hovering around 180 pounds or more competing with kids who are maturing much slower and not yet 5 feet tall and scratching the 100 lb barrier. Now add to that tean age boy hormones, and aggressivness, not exactly the right time to "introduce" body checking.
They should be doing it from Novice (7-8 YOA) and up, they learn it as a core skill when they are not big enough, fast enough nor strong enough to hurt themselves or others, it bcaomes just another skill to learn liks skating, passing ect, then as teenagers it is not the big anticipated chance to run around and "KILL" people as it has always been part of their game, therbye keeping kids playing, because Bantam is where lots of kids walk away from the sport due to outside interests AND the fear the establishment has created with the late intro to copntact.
The most important skill is for them to learn how to recieve the check, not to actually lay one out.
I presently coach both a Novice team and a Bantam Rep team, and have more than a passing interest in the topic

Kids playing house league, aren't on their way to the pro's...unless we're talking 5-7 year old kids. If you're over 8 years old and not playing rep, chances of you going further with your career are super low.

On the other hand, if your kids are in rep hockey, even "select", hitting should be part of the game as it's more serious and paves the way to kids that have the skill to reach the pro's.

Respectfully disagree.

8 years old is the 2nd year of "minor hockey" (Initiation is 4-6).

Many playing house league aspire to make a Rep team, but for a variety of factors (Skill, politics or money) they don't get there, that particular year, but keep trying. Milan Lucic played House League in Bantam, yet has done pretty well for himself.

Respectfully disagree.

8 years old is the 2nd year of "minor hockey" (Initiation is 4-6).

Many playing house league aspire to make a Rep team, but for a variety of factors (Skill, politics or money) they don't get there, that particular year, but keep trying. Milan Lucic played House League in Bantam, yet has done pretty well for himself.

Like you, being a coach and former player (from House league to junior) I would have to disagree.

I find, at this age, it's the parents desire more than the players to get them into select and A-AAA hockey.

Sure, there are a few kids with the drive to play hockey 24/7 but most kids have little interest in the puck let alone rep at 7-8.

My son is going into his 3rd year of hockey and he just turned 7. If you don't get your children involved in select at the very least, at a young age, it'll take a very talented kid to make up the ice time compared to those have playing 2-4 times a week in rep.

I've seen some kids during my days in AA in Toronto that try to make the jump from House league to rep and it's a complete shock.

Of all the guys I know and played with who are currently in the NHL, all of them started rep at or before 8 years old.

Actually you are flat out wrong. Rosters are littered with the names of kids who lit up the leagues till they turned 12 or 13. My nephew didn't play AAA till he was in Bantam, was drafted 52 overall in the OHL draft and played there. Played one year of Junior A as a 16 year old before he went too. His brother only played Midget AAA and also played Junior A when he was 16. The only guy I played with in PeeWee who played in the NHL was nothing but average till he turned 13 or 14 as well. The others were never seen nor heard of again.

I know what OTI is getting at, but I agree with Regina on this one. I know of some guys who never even took up the sport till they were 10-12 years old and went on to Jr or even pro, while definitly a minority, I don't agree that you are labeled a career house leaguer from Novice onward.

You need to read McCown's Law: The 100 Greatest Hockey Arguments: Chapter #11, if that what you think.

BTW all 4 of the Staal brothers didn't play hockey (other than pickup hockey with their dad and his friends) in the summer. They cut grass on Henry's farm and didn't hit the gym or work out in the summer, other than going for a jog or two before training camp. Totally changed now but not when they were young.