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Hitting in Atom hockey to get a rethink
By Eric Welsh, Burnaby NOW reporter
Local minor hockey associations will take a second look at a controversial decision that would allow nine- and 10-year-old atom players to bodycheck, starting in the upcoming fall season.
The Canadian Hockey Association made the change at its annual general meeting last May, and B.C.'s Amateur Hockey Association followed suit at its annual general meeting last September.
Since then, the CHA has discovered problems with the data they based their decision on, and local hockey associations have experienced a backlash from worried parents.
As a result, both the CHA and BCAHA are getting cold feet.
Terri Munro, president of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association, which includes minor hockey teams in New Westminster and Burnaby, says there's a large group of people who support hitting in atom, and a large group against it.
"There's such a difference in size in atom-aged players," she says.
"When my son played atom, there was hitting and he got hurt. He got boarded a few times. They're just not ready for it."
On the other hand, she says, there is a valid argument for allowing it.
"There is a feeling that it should be in the younger groups, so that when they get up to bantam they'll really know how to take the hits and how to give them properly. I've got my own opinions, but I go with what my membership wishes."
Burnaby Winter Club president Ron Knight says most of the feedback he is getting supports revisiting the issue.
"Coincidental contact and bumping are fine, but getting kids at that age to the point where they're looking to take several strides and take a kid out, I just don't think that needs to be part of the game."
BCAHA president Barry Petrachenko says the provincial body will wait until the CHA hands down a decision after their AGM in May before deciding what to do.
"A decision may be made there that would supercede anything that we've done," he said. "If it doesn't happen at the CHA annual meeting, it could still be revisited for sure at our meeting in September."
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