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Calgary bodycheck ban dead
CALGARY -- A crushing blow has been dealt to calls to scrap bodychecking in minor hockey.
Hockey Calgary's 24 associations elected to keep legal hits in the game after the highly divisive issue was taken to a leaguewide vote Saturday at Hockey Calgary's annual general meeting.
One proposal called for the end of bodychecking for players under age 13 for the upcoming hockey season.
The other sought to ban bodychecking from bantam play, outside of elite teams, for the 2013-14 season, and expand the ban to midget level for the following season.
Both motions were rejected through a secret-ballot vote.
"Hockey Calgary is a member-based organization," said president Todd Millar. "The members have spoken."
There was sparse discussion before the vote and detailed counts were not announced. But Millar said he fully expected the outcome to be close -- no matter what came up during the meeting.
Earlier this year, Hockey Calgary asked its member associations to support a ban on bodychecks for all peewee players.
While many cheered the defeat, others were visibly upset. Chairman Dave Makarchuk said the Trails West Hockey Association supported the ban.
"Almost all their kids are not going to play in the NHL," Makarchuk said.
"From our perspective, it's not worth the concussion risk for those kids. I'm disappointed by the decision, but hopeful for the future."
-- Postmedia News
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition June 25, 2012 C2
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Stanley Cup final: It's just a game but maybe hockey can heal in Boston
6:01 AM 0BOSTON - It's just a game, but maybe this Stanley Cup final can heal as well as entertain.
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