| Hockey has commonly been reported to have a profound impact on the values, attitudes, and behaviours of Canadians (Gruneau & Whitson, 1993; Nicks & Sloniowski, 2003; Nixon, 1976). Recently, Canadian youth hockey has been the target of much public and academic criticism, with attention being called to an increasingly aggressive atmosphere (e.g., Ackery, Tator, & Snider, 2012; Loughead & Leith, 2001; Therien, 2012). This atmosphere has been attributed, in part, to highly publicized, alarming parent behaviours in Canadian hockey rinks (e.g., Arnold, 2002; Friesen, 2012; Robidoux & Bocksnick, 2010). Traumatic brain injury and concussion suffered by both youth and professional players (e.g., Sidney Crosby) as a result of body checking has also led to intense public and academic debate (e.g., Maki, 2012a; Emery, Hagel, Decloe, & Carly, 2010). Many recent systematic reviews of literature (e.g., Emery et al., 2010a) have identified that body checking in minor hockey is consistently linked to heightened injury rates, yet body checking remains permitted in the youth game, beginning at 11 years of age (Hockey Canada, 2012a). With over 570,000 youth involved in hockey in Canada, a safe and enjoyable environment is of critical importance. The purpose of the present dissertation was to gain a greater understanding of (a) parent involvement, and (b) the presence of body checking in Canadian youth hockey. Interviews were conducted with forty peewee players (i.e., 11-12 years of age) over the course of a competitive season and ten elite hockey insiders (i.e., those with professional, major junior, or university level experience as either a player, coach, parent of elite player, official, or national media personality). Results indicate that while elite insiders presented several concerning issues with parent involvement in Canadian youth hockey (i.e., over-involvement), peewee players reported being generally satisfied with their parents' involvement. Both elite insiders and peewee players discussed the regular occurrence of negative parent behaviours at games (i.e., yelling at players and officials). Further, peewee players reported enjoying the presence of body checking in their game, despite discussing feelings of both fear and safety on the ice. Conflicting findings, recommendations and future directions are discussed. |
