Safety-Focused Hockey Rule Changes Have Small Impact on Simley Teams

Tougher penalty rules in high school hockey have been enforced for a few weeks, and while the coaches support the stiffer rules but the impact has been unseen so far.

The stricter rules came after two Minnesota high school hockey players, and , were both injured during hockey games.

According to media reports, Jablonski was checked from behind and is not expected to use his arms or legs again. Privette, it was determined, fell during the game and has yet to regain use of her legs.

Boys coach James Joseph said before the rules were changed his team was sent to the penalty box this season for checking from behind and head contact.

Since the rule change, however, no team members have been penalized.

"I haven't noticed a significant change in the way the game is played," he said.

Also noticing no change in the pace of the game is Ashley Stewart, the girls head coach.

Stewart said since hitting is not allowed in girls hockey anyway, and is an automatic penalty, that rule has not had an impact on her team’s performance.

"I’ve never had to deal with any of the rules," she said. "The majority of the time it’s an accident. I think this makes people more aware and more cautious of the rules and safety."

Under the new rules the penalty would no longer be a two-minute minor penalty plus a 10 minute misconduct penalty – rather it’s a five-minute major penalty plus a 10 minute misconduct penalty. Players who check from behind flagrantly can also be ejected from the remainder of the game and disqualified from the team’s next match.

Boarding and contact to the head have also become automatic major penalties, five minutes, instead of either a two-minute minor penalty or five-minute major penalty.

"The goal is to continue the League’s efforts to reduce and remove dangerous contact that has led to severe injuries to players," according to the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) memo. "The penalties for three infractions of the rules have been significantly increased in an effort to thwart players from making dangerous hits on the ice."

Joseph said in his 10 years of high school hockey coaching he has "seen plenty (injuries) but none as severe as the Jack Jablonski injury."

Stewart, who has been coaching the Spartan girl’s hockey team for four years, said she has not seen many injuries at all as a result of rough play.

Both coaches went over the new rules in light of the fellow hockey players’ injuries.

"We focused more on the new rules and how important it would be to follow them then the injury to Jablonski," Joseph said.

Stewart said when Jablonski was hurt they had a team meeting and encouraged everyone to be careful.

"Hockey is a great game, and when it is played the way it should be played, it should be a safe game," MSHSL associate director who oversees hockey Craig Perry said in a memo. "The advisory committee’s recommendations and our Board’s support of the action continue our efforts to protect the kids on the ice, efforts that have been in place for a number of years.

"The rules book developed by the National Federation of State High School Associations has made checking from behind and hits to the head as points of emphasis since the 2004-05 season."