Hockey Nova Scotia is hoping for a kinder, gentler minor hockey experience this season and they have a plan in place to make it happen.
Parents of hockey players between the age of four and eight have until December 1st to take an online course developed by Calgary-based company Respect Group Inc.
The course is meant to teach parents about appropriate behaviour in the stands. At least one parent of each child must take the course or their children will not be allowed to participate in Hockey Nova Scotia programs.
Minor hockey coaches and volunteers are already required to take the course.
Darren Cossar, executive director of Hockey Nova Scotia, says the course should only take parents about an hour to complete.
“It allows parents to raise awareness about what are appropriate and inappropriate behaviours in the rink,” says Greg Taylor, the former president of Dartmouth Whalers Minor Hockey.
While some parents appreciate the steps to reduce the amount of rink rage in the province, others disagree with being forced to comply.
“So, basically it’s like putting a gun to these people’s heads, instead of using their own common sense and knowledge,” says one parent.
The price tag for the online course is $12, a portion of which goes to Hockey Canada, Hockey Nova Scotia and the remaining to Respect Sport Inc.
While some parents are upset with being forced to take the course, others see it as a necessity.
“If they don’t know how to act in public properly, perhaps they should pay $12 to learn,” says one parent.
So far, Nova Scotia is the only Maritime province to make the course mandatory for parents.
Officials with hockey associations in both Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick admit rink rage is a real problem and they plan on making the course a must for parents in the near future.
As for parents who refuse the course, Cossar says there’s a lot on the line.
“They had 11,000 in Calgary and all 11,000 took it,” he says. “They had a couple that held out until the last minute, but when it meant their child couldn’t play…”
Cossar hopes the prospect of seeing their child benched will motivate parents to take the course and keep young players on the ice.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Alyse Hand
