Quote:
Originally Posted by Jason14h
Why can't we just have a hitting and non-hitting league, and let parents vote with their wallets where the kids will be playing?
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This would work in the cities, and I understand these already exist, but in rural communitties, where it can be difficult to put a team together, due to numbers, I think this would make things even more difficult. As for the AAA/AA very few first year players, like 1-2/ team make AAA Bantam, slightly more make AA (7ish) now due to this maybe none make it, no problems for me here.
What I haven't read here, or heard too much about is the fact that Dr's have said tht the 11/12 brain is very suseptible to concussions and takes longer to recover from cuncussions due to it being the prime development ages and very active. I don't think you can argue with science and the studies that have been done. Now if it were up to Dr's Im sure there would be no hitting/ contact in hockey at all, and that is were hockey is headed like it or not.
As for the parents... have you seen some of these "Mom's"? yes we all have. They can't sit and keep their mouths shut for 2 minutes, without yelling at the kids to "hittem" or "gettem". These are the last people whoes opinions should be valued, who cares that they pay ($$$) for it or not.
Some have suggested only having contact at AAA/AA levels and this is what I support, starting at Bantam. These are the kids with the biggest chance of playing hockey beyond the minor system, and need to be conditioned as such. ALso, at these levels going for the "big hit" is not the wisest move and two on ones often lead to goals, contact is more to seperate body from puck and rubbing out as opposed to steam rolling an undersized puck carrier.
But like I said earlier, non contact hockey is essentially where the whole sport is headed, even in the NHL where even now, just about any big hit earns a suspension. Body checking was not put in the game to destroy opposing players, but as a means to deffend, and it has gone way beyond that.