As of Jan. 1, there will be no more body checking in Terrace Minor Hockey Association (TMHA) House League divisions.
A notice posted on the TMHA website states that body checking will now only be allowed at the rep level and travel/B team level. But body contact will still remain part of house league.
Body checking involves deliberate opposing force to separate the puck carrier from the puck. Body contact involves impeding the progress of the puck carrier, without forceful, aggressive opposition.
“Removing body checking from house league level is becoming a trend in other associations across Canada,” the notice states.
The move aims to encourage player skill development without having to be concerned with injury from a body check or body check from behind.
“Body checking is a skill, but more importantly, we also feel skating, passing, shooting, stickhandling and angling tactics overshadow the skill of initiating a body check,” said the notice.