But prominent neurosurgeon, Dr. Charles Tator, is questioning the rules and how we let children play the game. In a recent interview with Rick Westhead of TSN, Dr. Tator had this to say about checking in hockey.
According to Dr. Tator there is no supporting evidence that teaching children to check when they're younger prevents injury. But any hockey coach or parent will tell you that they've safely taught children the ins and outs of physical play. As someone who grew up playing hockey, the most dangerous players were those who didn't know how to throw a proper check.
The idea of removing checking until the age of 18 would dramatically alter the way junior hockey is player in Canada. It would ban 15, 16 and 17 year olds from any major junior activity.
I think we can all agree we want hockey to be safer for everyone, but removing checking isn't the answer. Teaching players to play safer, hit cleaner and advancing equipment should be the first priority, while also educating coaches, parents and officials on the signs of potential head injuries to help avoid more advanced head injuries.
POLL | ||
2 OCTOBRE | 1 ANSWERS Canadian doctor recommends major change to youth hockey, and you aren't going to like it What age should players be taught to bodycheck? | ||
12-14 | 0 | 0 % |
15-16 | 0 | 0 % |
18 and older | 0 | 0 % |
Earlier than 12 | 0 | 0 % |
List of polls |