TOO YOUNG FOR BEER LEAGUE

Hockey Officials Tackle Drug And Alcohol Use Among Players

You'd think that crafting a zero-tolerance drug and alcohol policy for
minor hockey would be a pretty simple task. If you're 14 or 15 and you
drink at the rink, you're out. You show up stoned, same thing.

Ideally, that's what the Hamilton Minor Hockey Council and the Hamilton
Drug and Alcohol Awareness Committee would like to see in place soon.

They've spent the past year working together to assemble a policy which
would lay out clear rules for substance abuse by players, coaches and team
officials and would bring in stiff sanctions for those who breach it.

But if there's one thing that can be said with absolute certainty about
organized kids' hockey in Canada, it's that nothing is ever simple.

Blame whoever you want, but trying to get a protocol like this on paper is
about as easy as performing open-heart surgery with a spatula.

Not that such a policy wouldn't be a good idea. Jennifer Jenkins says she's
heard stories of minor hockey coaches buying their young players beer, kids
drinking in dressing rooms, and teens using and selling marijuana and
cocaine at arenas.

To be clear, Jenkins -- a substance abuse prevention specialist with the
city's public health department and member of HDAAC -- is quick to point
out that these stories are not from Hamilton. And the tales are only
anecdotal. But combined with statistics that suggest 64 per cent of Grade 9
students occasionally drink, she's convinced there's the risk of serious
problems here.

"We know there's a lot of substances on the streets and it's available,"
HMHC president Peter Martin says. "We would have to have our heads buried
in the sand to say there's substance abuse at the schools but it doesn't
affect our sport."

Thus, some kind of edict is warranted. Like the one at the top of this
piece. If you drink or do drugs while in your role as a member of the team,
you're out. No exceptions. No mercy.

Except how long do you think it'll be until the first kid is busted and his
parents point the finger of blame at the coach for lack of supervision?
After all, blame is far easier passed than accepted.

So the league has to acknowledge it can be at least partly the coach's
fault if a kid drinks or does any drugs on his watch. It complicates things
a bit, but it's true. So, drinking kid now equals banned kid and banned
coach. Period. End of sentence.

Problem is, this introduces 100 more complications. At what point does a
youth's role change from civilian to team member and thus, subject to
league rules? As soon as he enters the rink? An hour before the game?
Whenever the coach is in the vicinity?

And when does a coach's responsibility end and a parent's start? An hour
after a game? As soon as the kid leaves the arena? Any time the coach steps
out of the dressing room?

Sure it's already getting overcomplicated.

But hang on. We're just getting started. Because now you have to factor in
existing minor hockey rules that could conflict with a coach's ability to
enforce any of these new rules.

Every coach is aware of the two-deep policy that says he shall never be
alone in a dressing room with kids. There's just too much risk of
accusations of sexual or physical assault.

Yet some teams only have two coaches. So, what if one is occupied right
after the game, preventing the other from going into the room? Are they
going to be held responsible if one of the kids pulls out a six pack in
their absence? Especially when the second coach was only following the rules?

Throw in the added issues of supervision in hotels at tournaments and a
variety of other difficult circumstances, and you get a migraine generator
rather than a clear-cut policy.

So what do you do to deal with such an important issue that's so complex?
Perhaps the answer is stepping back and taking the path least complicated.

As in, making it nothing more than requiring every player to sign a
contract at the beginning of the season -- one that's clearly explained to
them and their parents -- accepting that if they drink or do drugs on any
day they'll be at the rink, they'll be kicked off the team immediately.
With an equally clear-cut contract for coaches and team officials.

No signature. No hockey.

Hey, there might be something to be said for keeping things simple.