Ice hockey is a fast-paced game that requires the participants to master many skills. Skating, stick handling, passing, shooting, and body checking all require certain skills that are unique to the sport of ice hockey. When these skills are properly executed, the speed and beauty of the game are unmatched by any other sport.
However, there is growing concern among USA Hockey's volunteer leadership that the physical aspect of the game is being overemphasized, at the expense of the finesse skills, at all levels of our game. This is especially true when the proper technique to deliver a body check is not taught and rules against illegal and deliberate contact above the shoulder are not enforced.
In an effort to address these concerns, USA Hockey is placing a special emphasis on body checking (at the age appropriate levels) and illegal contact above the shoulder for the 2001-2002 and 2002-2003 playing seasons. In the spirit of ``Heads Up Hockey'', coaches are directed to properly teach the skills necessary to legally body check an opponent without intimidation and to promote the positive skills of angling and body position. In addition, officials are directed to strictly enforce all acts of illegal body checking, including boarding, charging, checking from behind, cross checking, elbowing, and roughing.
Special emphasis is also placed on new verbiage and penalty options for head checking that appear in the Rule Book. Contact made with an opponent above the shoulder using the forearm, fist, shoulder, stick, or knee must be penalized and, if deliberate, penalized to the strictest degree. All players must be held responsible for playing in a safe and sportsmanlike manner.
A legal body check is one in which a player checks an opponent who is in possession of the puck by using his hip or body from the front, diagonally from the front, or straight from the side, and does not take more than two fast steps in executing the check. Legitimate body checking must be done only with the trunk of the body (hips and shoulders) and must be above the opponent's knees and below the neck. If body checking is unnecessarily rough, it must be penalized.
The purpose of a body check is to separate your opponent from the puck. The practice of ``finishing the check'', when used as a means of intimidating or punishing an opponent, cannot be tolerated, and this action should be penalized under the late avoidable check rule. Coaches are requested to place special emphasis on proper body checking techniques during practice. USA Hockey's Coaching Education program will step up their coaching curriculum on body checking to assist local youth coaches in doing so.
In addition, caoches and parents are encouraged to support the decisions of the officials at all times, but especially in instances where an infraction is called for head checking or illegal body checking. The Officiating Education Program has also been directed to increase awareness among the officials in regard to these issues.
Sportsmanship and Fair Play
Sportsmanship and fair play are the backbone behind any successful youth sports program and USA Hockey took that motto one step further with the development of the ``Spectators Code of Conduct'' three years ago. There is a renewed emphasis on these issues among all USA Hockey Affiliates. Oftentimes, the atmosphere in the stands influences the environment on the ice for all participants. Participating in the game with a positive attitude based on trust and respect for all participants, whether on or off the ice, will go a long way in creating a fun and positive atmosphere in which all participants can enjoy the great game of hockey.
USA Hockey's Spectator Abuse Policy deals with unacceptable behavior in the stands, while the Official Playing Rules address inappropriate actions on the ice. Parents, coaches, players and officials are all expected to adhere to the rules, values and policies that have been established by the USA Hockey volunteer Board of Directors at all times.
Failure to do so will only diminish the enjoyment for others and will place an enormous burden on the sport itself to overcome the negative impact. Maintaining a positive attitude of respect and displaying good sportsmanship is a must for every participant in order for our game to continue to grow and to promote the development of skills and enjoyment in the game.
``Be positive, play fair, show rspect and have fun'' are all ideals that cannot be left out of any directive. USA Hockey would encourage all members of our family to place sportsmanship on the top of their priorities for the upcoming seasons.
Conclusion
As you may notice, the minimal number of rule changes that have been incorporated into the 2001-2003 Official Playing Rules indicates that the game of hockey is in good shape. The goal of USA Hockey is to promote a safe and positive playing environment for all participants with the emphasis on skill development. With the cooperation of all participants (players, coaches, officials and parents) the above ``points of emphasis'' will support the continuation of these goals for the game of ice hockey at the amateur level.