Youth hockey rule change proposal has some in st louis park concerned
Since you know our position on the topic, here is a quote from the article arguing the opposing position:
This includes Steve Rosen, president of the St. Louis Park Hockey Association. Rosen doesn't think pushing the checking age back an age group — to 13- and 14-year-old Bantams — would make the game any safer.“It’d be a bad, bad decision,” he said.Tim Donahue, head coach of the St. Louis Park High School boys varsity hockey program, agrees with Rosen.
“I think they’re going in the wrong direction,” Donahue said of USA Hockey.Rosen said he would even go the other way, to allow checking at a younger age. If players learn and get comfortable with checking earlier, he said, they would be better at it and less susceptible to injury when they are older. The youth hockey president added that good body-checking isn't necessarily about hitting as hard as you can, but simply about separating an opponent from the puck.“The problem right now is that coaches aren’t teaching the appropriate way to check,” Rosen said. “We try to get our coaches to teach the right techniques."
Which side do you come down on? Let us know in the comments below.
As a parent of a defensemen I always love to see the big check. It's what I watch for. It's what I live for. I get angry when my son tells me he doesn't need the big check and that he's doing his job when he seperates the man from the puck. Having said this it is impossible not to think about the serious injuries that occur because of my thinking. If less injuries occur let's move checking back one year. (sad)
ReplyDelete