It’s common for women’s hockey to get physical, but intentional contact is more often than not against the rules.
One Toronto girls league has extended the ban on contact beyond the ice. The Toronto Leaside Girls Hockey Association imposed a ban on physical contact between coaches and players on the bench following a complaint over congratulatory contact by a volunteer parent.
Via Natalie Alcoba, The National Post:
Following a complaint about a congratulations doled out by a volunteer parent, the Toronto Leaside Girls Hockey Association this week sent coaches an email noting restrictions on when men can be in dressing rooms, a ban on social media interactions, and strict rules regarding email communication.
“On bench behaviour – under no circumstances should there be contact with the players, in any way,” reads the email from John Reynolds, who runs the house league. “Putting hands on shoulders, slapping butts, tapping them on the helmet, NOTHING, this can make some of the girls uncomfortable and you won’t know which ones, so no contact, period.”
This ruling has sparked debate on both sides of the issue, with Fran Rider, president of the Ontario Women’s Hockey Association backing the decision by saying, “Probably, you can never be overly protective,” according to Alcoba.
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Opponents of the decision include Dr. Michael Ungar, a Dalhousie University professor and author of Too Safe for Their Own Good: How Risk and Responsibility Help Teens Thrive. Ungar believes limiting contact between coaches and players impedes childrens’ social development by not allowing them to learn how differentiate between appropriate and inappropriate touching.
The ruling came after a parent volunteer congratulated a player with a slap on the bum and a squeeze of the shoulders. Jennifer Smith, president of the Toronto Leaside Girls Hockey Association, ostensibly deemed it harmless but reiterated that such contact is not allowed under current guidelines.
Beyond the issue of touching that could conceivably be considered sexual in nature, Smith noted the risk of concussion as a factor in the decision.
“What we recommend, what Hockey Canada recommends, is you do a fist bump, like a high five, end of story,” Smith told the Post.” “Not tapping kids on the head, because you tap a kid on the head, even when they’re wearing a helmet, you could conceivably give a kid a concussion.”
So, whether it’s in the name of reducing risk of head injury or preventing inappropriate touching, the Toronto Leaside Girls Hockey Association would rather be safe than sorry.
For a sport that’s had its share of brain injuries and sexual abuse scandal at the minor hockey and major junior level in the past, maybe that’s not such a bad thing. Dialogue is key on these issues, and as the Leaside Girls Hockey Association has shown in its swift move to lay down its ruling… they’re listening.
