Local

Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION

Hockey association disputes allegation coach taught players to fight

By: Brian Platt

Posted: 12/13/2012 2:04 PM | Comments: 0 | Last Modified: 12/13/2012 4:36 PM | Updates

The St. Vital Minor Hockey Association is disputing an accusation that one of its coaches was instructing players how to hurt opponents in fights.

The story was first reported by a local television station on Wednesday, citing what SVMHA officials say was an anonymous email making allegations against the coach of the Norberry-Glenlee Knights, a midget-level team with 16- and 17-year-old players.

"Initial reports from both the parents and players in attendance of the practice in question have the story line differing greatly from the allegations brought forth in CTV news story," the SVMHA said in a statement released Thursday afternoon.

"It would appear that CTV based their news story on allegations raised in an anonymous email sent to CTV that to date no parent or player from the team in question has stepped forward to claim responsibility for writing."

The statement also said the coach in question "has a long history of volunteering and coaching in the St. Vital Minor Hockey Association."

Minor hockey officials are meeting with the parents and players from the team later tonight to determine what actually happened and decide if any discipline is warranted.

Don McIntosh, president of the Winnipeg Minor Hockey Association, said it didn’t make sense that the coach would be teaching his players how to fight, given the severe penalties handed out for fighting by Winnipeg minor hockey.

The minimum penalty for a first fighting infraction is a five-minute major, a game misconduct and a two-game suspension. By a third fight, a player is suspended indefinitely.

"My sense is the thing’s been blown out of proportion," said McIntosh. "But St. Vital Minor (Hockey Association) will be reviewing that with the participants to determine what happened and then they’ll take some corrective action, or not.

"I suppose if it was determined that the coach was teaching them how to fight, he’s probably not going to be coaching any longer."

Hockey Manitoba will not be investigating the incident, said executive director Peter Woods. It is the responsibility of local minor hockey associations to handle the investigation and decide on disciplinary actions, with Hockey Manitoba providing support if necessary, he said.

History

Updated on Thursday, December 13, 2012 at 4:36 PM CST: Adds comment from SVMHA.

Fact Check

Have you found an error, or know of something we’ve missed in one of our stories? Please use the form below and let us know.

* Required

In which story did you find the error? *
Please post the headline of the story or the title of the video with the error.
What was the error? *
Please post exactly what was wrong with the story.
What should we have written?
Please indicate your source for the correct information.
Who else should we interview to improve this story?
Please include any contact information you may have.
Can we contact you in the future for advice on stories about this topic?
Yes

No
First Name: *
Last Name: *
E–mail Address: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Phone: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Colour:
Are you blue? If you can see this, leave it blank and get some CSS support.
Enter the words that you see: * This is to prevent our forms from being filled out automatically.
You have failed to correctly identify the words in the box above. Please try again.

More Local

Undock

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

Have Your Say

New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.