Effects of Body-Checking in the Pee-Wee (12 and 13 Years Old) Division in the Province of Quebec

Abstract

This paper documents the effects related to the introduction of body-checking in ice hockey for players of 12 and 13 years old (Pee-Wee Division). Four different studies were conducted on 49 teams of Pee-Wee hockey players: 28 teams played in a league allowing body-checking, and 21 teams played in a league banning body-checking. The topics studied were (1) the attitudes and beliefs of coaches, parents, and players about body-checking; (2) the morphological and biomechanical differences among Pee-Wee players; (3) the numbers and types of penalties within Pee-Wee leagues playing with and without body-checking; and (4) the injury rate within Pee-Wee leagues playing with and without body-checking. Among the most interesting results were the facts that, in that age category, some players were found to be twice as heavy and twice as strong as others. Larger players could exert an impact force 70% greater than those exerted by smaller players. Contrary to popular belief, playing without body-checking resulted in fewer “hostile aggression penalties.” Finally, the rate of fractures was twelve times greater for the league allowing body-checking. The results are discussed in the light of regulating actions taken in Quebec and the Canadian provinces toward body-checking in the Pee-Wee Division.