It's long past time to put a stop to this!

John Gardiner is right - kids do idolize the pro's in NHL. And the NHL says it wants to eliminate shots to the head. Question: what is a fight but deliberate and repeated shots to the head?!

Clean hits can also result in brain trauma, both now and after the GTHL fine-tunes their rules. There should be options for high level non-contact hockey, such as the new TNCHL.

Why not follow Quebec, Ontario could learn some lessons from our neighbouring province, they produce some excellent Talent!!!!

I am disgusted with the actions taken by the GTHL for hits to the head and excessive violence.I have sent them videos demonstrating the violent nature and the lack of discipline shown by the referees to remove the child from the game.In discussing this matter with Paul Cruse he indicated show me the video and we will act accordingly.We have received 6 head shots one concussion and one child sidelined by a hit from behind and possibility of broken ribs.Do they want a child to get seriously hurt.The GTHL do not take these accusations seriously and i am seeking your help to air these videos to show the public the craziness that occurs at these games.Children have been suspended 5 to 6 times and return to the game with no remorse or care.They should be removed for the year.We are in the playoffs and i have decided for the safety of my child to prevent him from playing a game that he loves because of the recklessness shown by the GTHL and concertns for the kids well being.Gardner is to concerned about lining his own pockets.

Great story Mark Kelley. Hockey Calgary, Hockey Alberta and Hockey Canada have no interest in child safety whatsoever. My 7 year old son was whacked on the back of the head at the 2007 Tournament of Champiuons in Sylvan Lake Alberta, by a 'player" from Camrose. The Referee with a clear view called no penalty. Camrose Minor Hockey said the player was a problem at the tournament but was not interested in looking it=nto the assault on the ice. Sylvan Lake Minor Hockey, Hockey Calgary, Hocky ALberta and Hockey Canada were totally uninterested. If hockey violence and injuries are not addressed by minor hockey associations , such problem grows unchecked and the problem escalates, Hockey Calgary did a survey 2 years ago that showed the general public finds bodychecking and hitting to be unwarranted and unjustified in minor hockey. These are the same people who will sit on a civil jury deciding the civil liability of coaches, and other minor hockey volunteers and associations in the next claiim by a minor hockey player suffering catostrophic injuries as a result of a neck or head injury.
Anyone who coaches or volunteers in a minor hockey association that permits bodychecking and hitting is risking their house and family assets by exposing the children entrusted to them to undue risk of harm. The warnings from Capital Health, Canadian Safety Council and the Pediatricians and the Sports Medicine specialists throughout North America are ignored by minor hockey volunteers at their peril. Such recklessness is not tolerated in any other organized sport (except lacrosse). The published Hockey Calgary survey indicates that such recklessness will not be tolerated by a civil jury awarding damages for injuries sustained by any child. Coaches and minor hockey volunteers - you have been warned! Your inaction on safety will be costly not just to the children victimized by lax safety policies.

How to increase the safety and get the best call ?

I would like to see it mandatory to have all on-ice officials conference together to make the best call possible when an "intent to injure" penalty call is being considered. These are: hits from behind, hits to the head, kneeing, and boarding calls. Then the best call is made as you have 3 trained individuals seeing the infraction from three different angles/perspectives to make the best call possible for both players involved.

Hockey is a fast-contact sport and calls have to be made in a blink of an eye that will impact both the penalized player and his/her team. I think this would increase the safety in the game and decrease the penalized team's coaches,parents, players involvement as they know it was a decision made by three officials and not a lone referee.This will also assist when there is a less experienced referee, so when seeking advice and input to a major call from senior, more experienced officials, it is viewed by all concerned as a positive approach to get the best call possible for everybody. If the control of these types of hits (some intentional, some not-players turning at the last moment to get a hit from behind to provoke a penalty comes to mind) are as important as we are lead to believe by various hockey leagues, then giving and spreading the responsibility to all on-ice officials for these 'intent to injure' calls should be a no brainer.

Perhaps start this concept with hockey tournaments because it is proven that tournaments have more injuries than a regular hockey season for a variety of reason. See next:
"Conclusions: The significant injury rate for boys' tournament game play was 4-6 times higher than the season game injury rates in two previous season-long studies. In boys' games, 65% of "all" injuries and 77% of "significant" injuries were related to collisions. The girls' rules of play do not allow body checking, and there were no significant injuries in girls' games. The boys had high rates of cerebral concussion injury at all age levels"
Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol. 31, No. 1, pp. 46-51, 1999.

Coming from personal experience, and that of my two sons, all of the concussions were received in tournaments. Why? Multiple games = players get tired more and your awareness and reaction time is slower than normal,the mis-matching of skill levels and age groups which account for height and weight differences especially in the Peewee to Midget age groups,the penalized player/team goes home without any impact what so ever "so what's the worry" attitude of players and in some cases - the coaches themselves, etc....etc....there are many reasons.

In Summary, 6 eyes are better than 2 in any scenario for the best call possible - its a simple add on to make the game safer, and it doesn't cost a cent more.

Re Dr. Mark Fishman's note, and video evidence of dangers ignored by minor hockey officers, it almost sounds like criminal negligence or child endangerment! I sent in video to a community hockey association in Calgary and to Hockey Calgary of a violent stick swing from behind to the head of a 12 year old that occured two weeks ago February at Bowness arena. The ref called a 2 minute penalty, in other words he treated it as a minor penalty like tripping. The minor hockey association president comes up with every excuse in the book to dismiss it AND HOCKEY CALGARY HAS DONE NOTHING WHATSOEVER to educate or discipline the player involved or other players! Next time the stick or hit is lower and causes serious head or spinal injury, this inaction will be of great interest in the personal injury action against all involved. Interestingly, the BC Court of Appeal affirmed the a waiver of liability signed on behalf of a minor is of no effect. Personal injury lawyers or insurers may be the only people who can wake up the troglodytes and neanderthals heading up minor hockey assocciations in provinces other than Quebec and Nova Scotia!