Tom Hancock and the California Amateur Hockey Association are trying to change the culture surrounding bullying and inclusion in youth hockey.
CAHA is currently in the second year of a program where the organization requires each player and one guardian to take an anti-bullying and inclusion online course before they can register to play for the program.
“We have to be proactive and at least get the message out to our constituents that these types of things aren’t permissible in the hockey community,” said Hancock, the president of the CAHA. “It shouldn’t be permissible anywhere, but we govern hockey. Kids may get away with it at school and elsewhere, but if they know that we have a zero tolerance for it, then maybe we can get in front of it and curb that behavior proactively.”
Hancock said the program’s origins came from a 15-year-old hockey player who died by suicide due to bullying unrelated and outside of hockey. The boy’s father reached out to Hancock and asked if the organization did anything proactively to prevent bullying to attempt to help avoid a tragedy like this.
“In California, we’re probably most aggressive on discipline, but when he asked, ‘What do we do proactively?’ it hit me like a ton of bricks,” Hancock said. “He just lost his son and wanted to get involved and see how he could make a difference so others didn’t have this horrible experience as a parent. We embraced it 100 percent.”
Lance Mehegan has five children, three of which currently play for a team within CAHA. Mehegan, who also volunteers on the disciplinary council at CAHA, appreciates the program and believes it’s well put together.
He described a recent disciplinary situation where a parent was brought in after using a derogatory term directed at a 15-year-old working as an official for the first time.
“There’s no place for it in hockey and there’s no place for it anywhere,” Mehegan said. “This adds a layer of accountability and makes people think about a very important topic. They’re trying to dig deep and inflict pain on them instantly and, to a kid who gets kicked off the ice, I say ‘Who won the argument?’ because they’re playing hockey and you aren’t. If hockey means everything to you, then why did you say that?”
Hancock said that the goal of the program is to create empathy. The organization relied heavily on professional educators for advice and appropriate topics to include in the training.
Officials also worked with the NHL to create a hockey-specific standalone program solely for the state of California. The shortest version is about 20 minutes and the longest is a little more than a half hour. The programs are at no cost to the parent or player and each version has age-appropriate topics.
There are also guest speakers within the program who are either current NHL stars with ties to California-based teams, ex-professionals or current members of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program. Several speakers include Erik Karlsson, Cayla Barnes, Blake Bolden and others.
“I’d listen to Bobby Orr, but some of these kids have no clue who Bobby Orr is,” Hancock said. “So, we got the younger stars to participate to keep it more relevant for the kids.”
Hancock said the organization has received positive feedback, as most are appreciative and understand where the request is coming from. He also saw some resistance from parents.
“This means being a good neighbor,” Hancock said. “Are you being a good sport? Are you treating people the way you want to be treated? It helps players and parents understand behaviors that are counter to that aim.”
In addition to the online training, Hancock also said teams must gather collectively twice a season for a one-hour training. Failure to do so makes the team ineligible for postseason play.
“They have a topic sheet and they discuss the issues of bullying and inclusion and how behaviors could adversely affect teammates,” Hancock said. “It has become part of life and what you have to do to play hockey in California.”
Hancock said there has been a drop in frequency of disciplinary hearings for hate speech and hate language in the last two years since implementing the program. Even if there is a suspension added, additional online training could be required — like anger management courses — before a player can be active again.
Hancock feels the message is getting out to the players and parents.
“We feel that it’s helping, but we’re still absolutely certain that it only gets better over time,” Hancock said. “It’s all about education and trying to nurture empathy. It’s really something as a collective board of directors in the state that we have completely embraced. Hopefully time will show that it really has made a difference.”
Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc
