REGINA – A viral video showing an on-ice fight among 12-year-old hockey players in Winnipeg escalating into a brawl with parents and referees disturbed many in the hockey community.
It’s also the way parents in the arena reacted that is cause for concern – a situation some hockey parents in Saskatchewan are already familiar with.
“Parents yelling at the kids to slash at the goalie…You’re looking at them going, ‘The whistle’s blown, like, what are you saying here? What are you teaching your kid?” said Corinne Leurer, recalling other incidents as she watched her 12-year-old son play hockey at the Co-operators Centre.
“Two years ago, we had to have a coach kicked out of a tournament for telling off a 9-year-old boy because he accidentally hit a girl,” said Tanya Mitchell, another hockey parent.
Kelly McClintock, general manager of the Saskatchewan Hockey Association, says it’s important to note that the Winnipeg brawl happened at a non-Hockey Manitoba sanctioned game.
He estimates tens of thousands of hockey games are played throughout Saskatchewan during the winter, with only 15 or so incidents.
One way the association is trying to prevent abuse is through the Respect In Sport online program, which teaches users how to maintain a safe environment. It’s mandatory for team officials and, more recently, at least one parent of every player.
“It empowers some parents to stand up and say, ‘You know what, what you’re saying and what you’re yelling, and how you’re behaving is inappropriate,” said McClintock
He says another component to parents’ rowdiness might also have to do with where they are in the stands.
“If you’re in the new Co-Operator’s arena, five other rinks, there’s not a lot of space outside, so if you’re inside, what’s the point of yelling? Nobody can hear you, the ref. can’t hear you, the players can’t hear you,” said McClintock.
Meanwhile, other parents questions the need for preventative measures in the first place.
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