Body Check Delay
In hockey you get more privileges as you get older and are at high levels but as the rules start to go down the possibility of getting hurt goes up. To be allowed to body check you have to be a peewee or higher which means you start at the age of 11 and after that you are always allowed to check. Being allowed to hit another player to get the puck away from them may be an easier way to get the puck but it also means that your opponent can also hit you to get the puck. Getting slammed up against the boards can make a kid shy away from getting the puck and keeping it for any extended period of time.
With safety in mind the “USA Hockey’s Player Development Committee” is hoping to delay the start of legal body checking. I think that the idea of having players wait until Bantam to be allowed to check is a good idea and should be changed. Once kids are allowed to check many of them take a while to get the feel for giving and receiving checks from other players. When a young player gets hit hard they may try to stay away from the puck which will or might try to dodge the hit which will just get them hurt. Although being able to hit at a younger age would give them a chance to get better at it at a younger age, it is keeping a lot of players from getting better because they are afraid to be near the puck.
Not only does the “USA Hockey’s Player Development Committee” so does the “American Development Model.” These two organizations are trying to change that rule during the June Annual
Congress. Not only do I think that changing the rule would be good but so do NHL players Mike Milbury and Al Maclnnis whom both have children in youth hockey and are thinking of their safety and the safety of all the other children.
The players not wanting to get close to the puck is the result of them be hit by another player. To avoid them from feeling like they can’t go near the puck without getting hurt and them not getting any better because of them being afraid. So in June when they have the meeting they will find out whether kids will still play in fear or they will play confidently.
