The Westwood Hockey Association - Calgary, Alberta, Canada

The Westwood Hockey Association is a non-profit organization that administers the hockey program in the area known as Westwood. Westwood consists of the 3 community associations of Brentwood, Triwood and West Hillhurst. Westwood's boundaries include the communities of Banff Trail, Charleswood, Foothills Estates, Collingwood, Brentwood, Capitol Hill, Edgemont, Hillhurst/Sunnyside, Houndsfield Heights, Briar Hill, Parkdale, St. Andrews, Triwood, University Heights, West Hillhurst and the University of Calgary Campus.

MISSION STATEMENT

It is our mission to provide a hockey program for players resident within our boundaries with the following objectives:

1. to encourage the participation of players interested in playing hockey in a competitive environment;

5. to provide an environment where players can develop physically, intellectually, emotionally, socially and ethically within a team setting; and

6. to maximize individual and team successes while maintaining equal opportunity for all players.

MHAC

We are a member of the Minor Hockey Association of Calgary (“MHAC”). Our program is governed by MHAC. Our policies are intended to be consistent with and supplemental to those of MHAC. In the event of any conflict between policies, the MHAC policies prevail.

ADMINISTRATION

The Association is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors. The Board consists of voting and non-voting members. Each community association appoints 2 voting members. Other members are appointed by the Board as required.

From among the voting members, the following officers are appointed: President, Vice-President, Past President, Treasurer and Secretary. The Presidency is for a two year term and rotates between the three constituent communities.

Members are allocated responsibilities for the various hockey divisions and for various subject areas including registration, equipment, ice scheduling and others.

The Board appoints coordinators in respect of the various hockey divisions and in respect of other matters such as community referees and pictures. The coordinators are responsible for the day to day administration of matters within their mandate.

The Board is responsible for policy making and plays a supervisory role in respect of the whole program.

Board meetings are generally held monthly on the second Tuesday of each month. The location of board meetings is at the discretion of the President of the Association. Generally board meetings are held at the Community Centre in the community where the President is resident. Anyone wishing to attend a Board meeting for purposes of addressing the Board must give reasonable prior notice to the President. The Board has the discretion to hear or not hear someone wishing to address the Board.

An annual general meeting is held each year, typically in May. The AGM is open to members of the communities making up the Association.

COACHES

Coaches (including head coaches, assistant coaches and managers) make up the backbone of our hockey program. We require that our coaches take all courses required by MHAC. Coaches who attend approved courses will be reimbursed for the cost of the courses provided that the courses are successfully completed and appropriate evidence of attendance and payment is promptly submitted.

Westwood offers coaching programs including seminars and mentoring programs throughout the season. Coaches are encouraged to participate in these programs.

All coach appointments must be approved by the Westwood Board. Coaches are selected based on training, experience, participation in Westwood’s coaching programs, previous coach evaluations and recommendations made by Board members and division coordinators. Any person wishing to coach in Westwood must submit a coach application in such form as the Board may require. Failure to submit a completed application may result in an applicant’s exclusion from coaching. All coaches must agree to a criminal record check.

Each year, we conduct an evaluation of our coaches. Coach evaluation forms are distributed by the division coordinator to each team in the division. The team manager is responsible for distributing coach evaluation forms to the players/parents and for collecting and returning the forms to the division coordinator. The purpose of the evaluation is to provide feedback to the Board regarding the performance of coaches. Coaches are entitled to review evaluation forms upon request.

Effective for the 2006-2007 season, absent special circumstances, a person acting as a head coach (including acting as a co-coach) will be restricted to coaching one team. A person may be an assistant coach on more than one team provided however that preference may be given to someone who is not already involved with coaching another team.

EQUIPMENT

Generally, each player in the hockey program is responsible for supplying his or her own complete set of hockey equipment. Exceptions to this rule are as follows. Westwood will provide one set of goal tending equipment per team, if required, for teams in Tyke, Novice and Atom. Westwood will also supply all game jerseys.

Equipment and jerseys supplied by Westwood are not to be used outside of scheduled games and practices without special permission from the Equipment Coordinator. Damage to any equipment used outside of scheduled games and practices will be the responsibility of the player or player’s parents.

Coaches are responsible for the return of all Westwood supplied equipment and jerseys. The Equipment Coordinator may require that a deposit be posted by each team to stand as security for the return of equipment and jerseys.

PLAYERS

Players are required to play in the division determined by their age as at December 31 in the playing season.

Subject to release provisions that follow, only players resident within the boundaries of Westwood are eligible to play in Westwood.

All players participating in the Tyke and Novice programs will have the opportunity to play all the positions including goal. Players are to be rotated on a regular basis. Players wishing to play goal will get the opportunity to play goal at least once per season.

Acceleration

Players wishing to play in a higher division (acceleration) must receive both the approval of the Board and the approval of MHAC.

A player will only be considered for acceleration if they clearly demonstrate to the Board’s satisfaction that:

1. he or she would clearly rank in the top half of the top team in the higher division;

2. the player’s skills are so advanced that he or she would be unable to develop in the player’s existing division; and

3. the dominance of the player would hamper the development of the other players in his or her division.

Players wishing to play in a lower division, must obtain permission from MHAC and demonstrate that their skill level or size would place them in a dangerous position if they continue to play in their current division.

Placement of Players

Players will be placed on teams as determined according to the player evaluation policy and procedure set out below.

Team Movement Requests

If a player wishes to move from a team due to personal circumstances, the player must submit a written request to the division coordinator for consideration. Players will not be allowed to move to a higher team but will be placed on a lower or equivalent team. The division coordinator may or may not approve the request. An appeal lies to the Board which may or may not allow the request in its absolute discretion.

Player Releases

Players resident within the boundaries of Westwood are required to play in Westwood. Players resident within the boundaries of Westwood who wish to play for a different hockey association require a release. Player releases are governed by MHAC rules and require the approval of MHAC, Westwood and the receiving association.

Approval for a player release from Westwood will be granted by Westwood in such circumstances as determined by MHAC and the Board. One example of such a circumstance is where Westwood has an excess of players/goalies in a particular division.

Where Westwood is the receiving association, Westwood approval will be granted in such circumstances as determined by MHAC and the Board. One example of such a circumstance is where a player has previously played in Westwood but has moved out of the Westwood jurisdiction. Westwood may refuse approval where receiving the player would be prejudicial to the interests of the players affected, as determined by the Board.

ICE TIME

Westwood’s policy is to provide equal ice time opportunities for all players. Westwood recognizes that playing time in individual games may vary but in an overall season the ice times should be relatively equal. Westwood also recognizes that equal ice is a two way commitment where the coach will provide the equal ice opportunity and the player will make the commitment to adhere to team rules regarding attendance at practices, arriving on time, etc.

Westwood strives to provide a minimum of two ice times per week (including games) during the regular MHAC schedule. Teams who want extra ice will have to raise funds and rent ice on their own. Under no circumstance is Westwood ice to go unused. If a team is unable to use an allocated ice time, they must contact the Ice Coordinator at least 48 hours in advance.

REFEREES

Westwood will pay for the training of any member of the three communities who is willing to referee in the Westwood Hockey Program up to a maximum of $150/course. All referees in Novice and above must be certified as required by MHAC.

TEAM MEETINGS

Each team must have a team meeting at the beginning of the year to review these policies and set out team rules, goals etc.

Once teams are registered with MHAC in October of each year, the only persons permitted on-ice to participate in practices are the players and coaching staff identified on the team registration. Specifically, parents, siblings and other non-registered individuals are not to be permitted on on-ice.

During the conditioning/evaluation process, individuals over the age of 18 as selected by the Division Coordinators, are permitted on-ice for the purposes of conducting the conditioning/evaluation skates.

All special events where non-registered persons will participate on-ice require the approval of the Division Coordinator. Such special events would include parent-kid games.

GENERAL

Goals of the Evaluation Process

In Westwood we want our players to have fun, develop their skills and stay in hockey. It has been our experience that this is best achieved in two ways: 1) by having competitive teams – teams that can successfully compete in their respective leagues; and 2) by having players assigned to teams appropriate to their level of play so that they can be contributing members of the team.

Teams will largely be formed based on player skill levels however it is recognized that there is more to team formation than simply grouping players based on skill level.

Given the large amount of ice time that is allocated for the evaluation process, it is the policy of Westwood that the evaluation process should be used for player development as well as for evaluation.

The Division Coordinator

The Division Coordinator is responsible for evaluations within his or her assigned division. The Division Coordinator shall follow the general evaluation policies and procedures and special policies and procedures (if any) applicable to the Division.

There may be one or more persons filling the role of Division Coordinator. i.e. there may be Division Co-coordinators. In this case all decisions must be unanimous. A deadlocked decision will be resolved by the Division Director.

Time Frames

The first ice times available for evaluation typically commence the weekend following the long weekend in September.

Teams must be formed and registered with MHAC by the end of October. This leaves approximately 7 – 8 weeks to complete evaluations.

Players trying out for A, AA and AAA teams will generally not be available for community evaluations until late September or early October. This must be taken into account in the appropriate divisions.

Parent Communication

The Division Coordinator is responsible for all communication with parents. Parents should be directed to this Policy at the outset so that they are familiar with the evaluation process. Coordinators are encouraged to have a parents meeting at the commencement of the evaluation process to explain the process and answer any questions that may arise. Any questions that arise during the evaluation process should be directed to the Division Coordinator.

Formation of Initial Evaluation Groups

The Initial Evaluation Groups shall be formed at the discretion of the Division Coordinator having regard to the following principles:

1. evaluation groups should not be larger than 30 players (not counting goalies);

2. evaluation groups should, to the extent possible, be comprised of players of similar ability;

3. the Division Coordinator may have regard to the following information when forming initial evaluation groups:

b. the coach rankings of the players from the previous year, in the approved format;

c. any other information that would reasonably assist the Division Coordinator in complying with principle 2 above.

New players will be placed at the discretion of the Division Coordinator based on whatever information is available concerning the new players.

The Evaluation Process

Subject to ice availability, typically each player will have between 6 and 10 ice times as part of the evaluation process (including conditioning skates). No player shall be given less than 4 ice time opportunities for evaluation (not counting conditioning icetimes). Although the primary purpose of evaluation ice times is to evaluate the players, skill development is also part of the process.

The evaluation process is comprised of a number of different formats. Initial ice times should give players the opportunity to adjust to the commencement of the hockey season. Not all players will have attended hockey camps over the summer. Some players may not have played hockey since the previous Spring. For the foregoing reasons, the initial ice times will be for conditioning. In body contact Divisions, some effort should be made to review body contact techniques with the players to prepare them for scrimmaging. The number of conditioning ice times allotted shall be in the discretion of the Division Coordinator but shall not be less than 2. Conditioning icetimes shall be clearly identified as such.

There may be one or more technical skates where players are evaluated on their technical skills. Typically, technical skates will not be used past the Atom Division.

Ideally, technical skates will be conducted in a practice drill format. The cattle auction effect is to be avoided.

At all Divisions, except Initiation, scrimmages will be used as the major evaluation tool. Scrimmages may be 3 on 3, 4 on 4, 5 on 5 or a combination of the three. Scrimmages allow evaluators to evaluate not only basic skills such as skating, shooting, passing, and where applicable, body contact, but also “hockey sense”. At the higher levels, 5 on 5 scrimmages should be used at some point to assess player abilities in game-like situations. In 5 on 5 scrimmages forwards should be evaluated in their preferred positions where possible i.e. centre, left wing and right wing.

In Divisions where body checking is allowed, scrimmages must be conducted in a safe manner. The conditioning ice times should be used to ensure that players have some exposure to body checking before scrimmaging begins. Volunteers that are on-ice during scrimmages must ensure that body checking is clean and appropriate. Players should be advised that dirty body checking could negatively affect their evaluation.

From Atom and above, players are evaluated based on the following positions: goalie, defencemen and forwards. Evaluation at the position of “centre” may also occur at Pee Wee and above. At the commencement of the evaluation process, players must designate the position that they wish to be evaluated in.

Player Movement Between Evaluation Groups

In the early stages, players may be moved freely between evaluation groups. Care should be taken that groups are not identified with specific teams or levels of team. The movement of players is necessary to ensure that players are in groups of similar ability.

Evaluators

A minimum of 5 evaluators should be used for each evaluation (except conditioning ice times). The selection of evaluators is in the discretion of the Division Coordinator, subject to the following policies. The same evaluators should not be used for all evaluations. Conflicts of interest should be avoided where possible. In no event should an evaluator evaluate their own child or be involved in an evaluation that could be determinative of their child’s placement. The mere fact that an evaluator has a child in the division is not a conflict of interest. If an evaluator is involved with the evaluation of an evaluation group that includes the evaluatior’s child, the evaluator should not score or rank his/her own child. A note to this effect should be made by the evaluator on the evaluation form.

Each evaluator must put their name on the evaluation form. Evaluation forms that have no evaluator name must be discarded.

Evaluators must evaluate free from collusion with, or influence by, other evaluators, coaches or parents. Evaluators may consult one another regarding evaluation procedures and technical matters during an evaluation session, but otherwise should not communicate.

Evaluators must keep their evaluation results confidential both during and after evaluation sessions. Specifically, evaluators should not discuss evaluation results with other evaluators, parents, or prospective coaches. Improper conduct by an evaluator could lead to the nullification of the evaluator’s evaluation and a bar from future evaluations.

The Westwood Board may use paid outside evaluators in one or more divisions at its absolute discretion.

If parents have questions regarding evaluation procedures or results, they should be directed to the Division Coordinator. The Division Coordinator is responsible for communication with parents.

Evaluation Forms

Evaluation forms, as approved by the Westwood Board, shall be used for all evaluations, except at the Initiation level.

The evaluation forms are designed to focus evaluators on the various skills that are to be evaluated. These skills include: skating, shooting, passing, where applicable, body contact, and “hockey sense”.

Evaluation Scoring

Evaluation scoring is done on a session by session basis. There is no accumulation of scores. There is no weighting of scores. In the course of each session, evaluators, through their scoring, are ranking the players from strongest to weakest. Each evaluator should award the strongest player(s) in the session a “10” the weakest a “1”. Other players will receive rankings in between. The Division Coordinator will tabulate the numbers and will rank the players according to the session results. These results will be inserted into the master player ranking list. Subsequent sessions will group players such that stronger players from a lower previous grouping will play with weaker players from a higher grouping. This process is intended to allow players to move up or down depending on how they rank with their fellow players in each session.

Exhibition Games

In the later stages of the evaluation process, exhibition games should be played where possible at the levels of Pee Wee and above. It must be made clear to the players and parents that these early exhibition games do not mean that teams have been set. These exhibition games are part of the evaluation process.

Team Selection

Teams at the Pee Wee level and above shall be selected in a two-part process. All but 2–3 players per team shall be allocated to teams based on their evaluation results. The remaining players shall be determined by coach selection. Coach selection shall occur from the number 1 team down. The number 1 team shall be determined based on evaluation results leaving the team 2-3 players short. The bottom level team shall have 2-3 players more that the final team number. The coach of the number 1 team may select players allocated to the number 2 team. The coach of the number 2 team may select players allocated to the number 3 team. This process continues down to the bottom level. Coaches selecting players shall view the players either playing on the lower team (in scrimmages or exhibition games) or by viewing players combined for a “bubble” skate as determined by the Division Coordinator. During the coach selection process, coaches may consult with one another regarding players. At the end of this process, the teams in the Division must have an equal number of players, to the extent possible. In no event shall one team have more than 2 players more than any other team.

The coach selection process allows a coach to fill out his or her team. For example, a team may require defensemen. The coach selection allows a coach to select defensemen notwithstanding that they are further down on the evaluation list. The coach selection element recognizes that teams require balance which cannot be achieved by an automatic selection process based strictly on evaluation results. The following player attributes may be considered as part of the coach selection process: position; attitude; versatility; coachability; size; age (second year vs. first year); maturity; and assessments by previous coaches.

Teams below the Pee Wee level will be decided primarily on evaluation results. There will be no coach selection component at the Initiation or Novice levels. A modified coach selection process may be used in Atom at the higher levels at the discretion of the Atom Division Coordinator.

Special considerations may be applied in allowing girls, siblings, and players in other special circumstances, to play on the same team in Divisions up to and including Pee Wee. These considerations may only apply where players are within two teams of each other. In these situations the higher ranked player is to be moved down. Parent consent for moving a player down must be obtained.

Absent special considerations as noted above, players who are placed on a team based on evaluation results or coaches picks will be required to play on that team. Players do not have the right to “elect” to play for a lower ranked team.

In no event shall team selection be based on nepotism, discrimination, favour, patronage, compensation or any other improper consideration.

All attempts are to be made to avoid moving a player down or “cutting” a player once the teams are substantially formed. Coach selection of players should result in players moving up, not down whenever possible. When teams have been substantially formed, if a coach determines that a player has been misplaced on his team, the coach may bring the matter to the attention of the Division Coordinator. The Division Coordinator shall handle the matter from that point on and his/her decision will be final.

Special Circumstances

Players that are injured before evaluation or during the evaluation process shall be placed in an evaluation group or on a team at the discretion of the Division Coordinator and subject to coach selection.

Players should make every attempt to attend all of their evaluation skates. Advance notice should be given of any player’s intended absence and the reason therefore. Where a player misses one or more evaluation skates, the player will be ranked at the discretion of the Division Coordinator. Missing evaluation skates may result in a lower team placement.

Players that are permitted to late register, shall be evaluated and placed on teams at the discretion of the Division Coordinator. The Division Coordinator shall consult with the coach(es) potentially affected by any late player placement.

Players that are registered but are absent evaluations due to try-outs with A, AA or AAA teams, shall be evaluated and placed on teams at the discretion of the Division Coordinator and subject to coach selection. Being cut from one of these teams does not dictate placement on a number 1 team in the applicable division.

Goalie Evaluations

Goalie evaluations will be used for Atom through Junior. The process for goalie evaluation is as follows.

Goalies will be initially ranked based on the division and team where they played the previous year and based on coach rankings from the previous year.

Where possible, goalies will be ranked by evaluators specifically designated to evaluate only goalies. Goalie evaluators shall use goalie evaluation forms approved by the Westwood Board.

Goalies will participate in scrimmages. Typically 2-3 goalies will attend each scrimmage. Initially goalies will play in scrimmages with similarly ranked players. For example, the top 2-3 goalies will scrimmage with the top ranked players group. In the course of scrimmages, the evaluators will be asked to score each goalie based on factors including: positioning, puck handling, agility, quickness, movement, intensity and overall play. Furthermore, each evaluator will be asked to rank the goalies in order of preference. Goalies will be moved up or down depending on how they rank each session. Evaluation scoring is done on a session by session basis. There is no accumulation of scores. There is no weighting of scores.

In addition to scrimmages, goalies will be evaluated in 1 or more technical skates.

This process will determine most goalie placements. Coaches will then choose the balance of the goalies. Placement for the goalies will be as follows, starting with team number 1 the highest ranked goalie will be placed on the team. If the number of goalies allow for more than one goalie per team, the coach of team 1 will then be given a chance to pick from the next three highest ranked goalies. This process will continue down the line. Teams with only 1 goalie will get the highest ranked goalie available.

Westwood Surplus Goalie Policy – Passed by Westwood Board 13-May-08

For PeeWee Goalies & older: If there is a surplus of goalies (ie. > two per team) in an age division, the Coordinators & Board will endeavour to find placements for goalies in either (a) other associations or (b) the next oldest age division within Westwood. If such placements are available, all goalie candidates will be asked to volunteer for the placement(s). If no goalies volunteer or no placements are available, then the bottom-ranked goalies will be released as goalies. Any released goalie will still have an opportunity to evaluate as a player in Westwood. In the case of surplus goalies, the coordinators are encouraged to retain independent evaluators to rank the goalie candidates. Notwithstanding, coaches picks, if used (as per Westwood Goalie Evaluation policy), will supersede the independent evaluator rankings.

Grievance Procedure

The general grievance policies and procedures of the Westwood Hockey Association applies to grievances about player evaluations and team placements.

Grievances about player evaluations and team placements must be commenced prior to October 15 of the year in question.

Grievances that are referred to the Board will be considered based on the following principles:

Parents who have a grievance regarding a player’s evaluation or team placement do not have the right to review evaluation forms or evaluation tabulations. These forms and tabulations may be reviewed by the members of the Board as part of any review that is directed. Division Coordinators must keep all evaluation records available for Board review for at least 2 months following team registrations.

SPECIAL POLICIES AND PROCEDURES APPLICABLE TO SPECIFIC DIVISIONS

Unless specifically modified below, the general policies and procedures governing evaluations, as set out above, will apply.

Initiation Level

Evaluations at this level are very informal. Players will not be evaluated based on set positions. Players will be evaluated to form two general groups – A and B. The B group will generally consist of players who have previously played hockey and are stronger skaters. Age may also be considered in forming this group as 6 year olds will be advancing to Novice the following year and require some preparation for their advancement to Novice. Players may also be evaluated to form teams for exhibition games against other community teams. Any evaluations that are conducted will be done at the discretion of the Initiation Coordinator. Typically the evaluations will be done by the coaches without the use of “evaluators”.

Novice Level

Players, including goalies, will not be evaluated based on set positions. Technical skates may be used throughout the evaluation process as basic skills will be paramount in the evaluation process. Scrimmages will also be used as part of the evaluation process. There will be no coach selection.

Atom Level

Players will generally be evaluated based on set positions. One or more technical skates should be used as basic skills are still a primary factor for evaluations at this age level. Scrimmaging becomes increasingly important at this level.

Players wishing to play goal should be evaluated both as goalies and as players. At this level goalies will generally not be designated as part of team registrations with MHAC. This allows players to alternate between playing goal and playing out. If a player wishes to qualify for playing both goal and playing out, the player must evaluate in both positions. The player may be placed according to his ranking on the weaker position. The ability of a player to play both positions may depend on the number of goalies available.

Some qualified coach selection may occur at this level. The process will not be formalized as for higher divisions. Coach selection will be at the discretion of the Atom Coordinator and will be limited to no more than two players per team.

Pee Wee Level

Pee Wee is the first year for body checking. Returning Pee Wee players will have played contact hockey while first year players will not have played contact hockey. This fact must be considered as part of the evaluation process.

At this level (and above) players are evaluated based on position. Players evaluated and placed on a team based on one position should not expect to play any other position. The playing of another position will be in the discretion of the coach.

Bantam and Above

III. TEAM PLACEMENT AND AFFILIATIONS

TEAM SEEDING

The goal in seeding teams is to place teams in divisions where they will be competitive and have an opportunity to win. The placement of teams is determined by MHAC. Westwood submits a request for team placement to MHAC.

The request for team placement submitted to MHAC is determined by the Board on the recommendations of the Division Coordinators. Team placement is based on several factors including: the number of returning players; the number of first year players; the relative size of the players on the team (in contact divisions); the goaltending strength; the previous year’s performance of the teams in the various divisions; the placement of teams from other associations; and the results of exhibition games played before seeding is determined.

TEAM MOVEMENT

Following the seeding round, teams may request movement. Team movement is decided by MHAC. Requests for team movement may be submitted to MHAC by Westwood. All requests must be approved by the Board.

AFFILIATIONS

Until teams are registered with MHAC, teams involved in exhibition games may use players from the team immediately below them where necessary. Once teams are registered with MHAC, players not registered to the team cannot play in any games unless and until MHAC approval is received for Westwood’s affiliations.

MHAC Community Rule 13 sets out the procedure for the use of affiliated players. This Rule should be considered in its entirety before using an affiliate player.

“When using an affiliate player, the higher team must obtain the permission of the lower team in writing …”

To clarify the meaning of this portion of the subrule, Westwood’s policy is as follows:

1. Permission from the lower team means permission of the coach of the lower team.

2. The coach of the lower team has the authority to permit or deny the use of an affiliate player from the lower team.

3. In exercising the authority to permit or deny the use of an affiliate player, the coach must act reasonably. Reasonable opportunity is to be given to players to play at a higher level when circumstances permit.

4. Where the coach denies the use of an affiliate player, the coach must advise the parent of the affected affiliate player that permission for use of the affiliate player was sought and denied and, if requested by the parent, give written reasons for the denial.

5. The Division Coordinator may review the reasons for denial and determine whether the reasons given are reasonable.

IV. GENERAL GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE

3. if unable to resolve, meet with the Board Member responsible for the Division, the Division Coordinator and the coach;

4. if unable to resolve, submit a written submission regarding the grievance for consideration by the Board of Directors.

2. if unable to resolve, meet with the player or parent and the Division Coordinator;

3. if unable to resolve, meet with the Board Member responsible for the Division, the Division Coordinator and the player or parent;

4. if unable to resolve, submit a written submission regarding the grievance for consideration by the full Board of Directors.

People should always keep in mind that Westwood Hockey is staffed and run by volunteers.

Any abuse or discourteous behaviour, directed towards Evaluators, Coordinators or any other volunteer working on behalf of Westwood Minor Hockey will not be tolerated and could result in the expulsion of the parent or player from the hockey program.

The coaches of Westwood have the right and responsibility to maintain team and player discipline. Disciplinary action may be taken by a coach to enforce appropriate conduct including compliance with the Association’s policies and rules, compliance with the Fair Play Pledge for players and compliance with team rules as set by the coaching staff of a team. Disciplinary consequences are in the coaches’ reasonable discretion, and may include sitting a player out for portions of a practice or a game or suspension from play depending on the severity of the offence (commonly referred to as benching). The Board will stand behind its coaches in enforcing appropriate discipline.

In extreme cases the player may be required to enter into a contract with the Association that sets standards of behavior with defined consequences in the case of a breach.

Coaches of the Association should be aware that they are in a leadership position and are models for the players they coach. Abuse of this leadership role will not be tolerated by the Association. It is the mandate of Association to provide a safe, healthy, and challenging hockey program for our kids.

As indicated above benching is an acceptable form of discipline to be used by a coach for inappropriate behaviour by a player. To help define ‘reasonable discretion’ the following justifications are listed to help coaches know when benching is appropriate. These justifications will also serve to help parents and players understand the Coach’s actions. Because benching is a powerful disciplinary tool it has the potential to evoke strong emotional responses from players and parents and as such should be used with discretion.

1) Players showing lack of respect to coaches, officials, opposition players or teammates. Examples of disrespectful conduct include swearing, physical or verbal threats, excessive arguing, physical contact, bullying, etc.

3) Players displaying inappropriate behaviour off the ice. Such behaviour includes property damage to arena facilities or conduct that is a distracting or divisive force concerning team unity.

4) Players displaying inappropriate behaviour on the ice that is detrimental to the team’s success. Examples include taking excessive penalties, overly long shifts, etc.

5) Players arriving continually late for games or practices such that the Coach has difficulty in planning game rosters or practices. It is expected that this should be used as a last resort in this instance as in most cases the players depend on parents for timely transport.

2) Use as punishment to single out or humiliate players for mistakes made on the ice.

If a benching incident occurs the following guidelines and procedures must be followed:

1) Depending on the severity of the infraction, coaches are to use a graduated approach where the length of benching starts with one shift and increases on a shift basis until the inappropriate behaviour ceases.

2) A meeting between the Coach (or Coaching staff) and the player and/or parents will take place within 24hrs (preferably right after the game) to explain the justification for the benching and to implement a plan for corrective measures.

3) If the above meeting fails to resolve the issues, the Coordinators are to be engaged as mediators.

4) If a player experiences a second benching incident (refers to being benched in separate games), in the same hockey season, for whatever reason, the Coach is required to contact the Coordinators verbally or in writing to report the incident(s). The parents must be engaged after a second benching incident. The Coordinators will use their discretion in resolving the issues at this point.

Coaches are required to review these guidelines with parents and players at the start of the season and are encouraged to put in writing any additional rules they may have concerning player discipline.

Inappropriate conduct by parents that may call for disciplinary action includes the breach of the Association’s policies and rules, breach of the Fair Play Pledge for parents and breach of team rules set by the coaching staff of a team. Examples of inappropriate conduct include abusive language or conduct towards players, other parents, coaches or referees.

In the event disciplinary action is warranted in respect of a parent, the following procedure will apply:

1. The parent will first be warned by the coach or their designate that the behavior in question is inappropriate and will not be tolerated.

2. If the warning is unsuccessful in changing the behavior of the parent, the parent will be required to enter into a contract with the Association that sets standards of behavior with defined consequences in the case of a breach.

3. If the parent fails or refuses to enter into a contract presented by the Association, the Board may, in its sole discretion, suspend the parent’s child or children from further involvement in the Westwood Hockey Program.

4. If the parent enters into a contract with the Association and subsequently breaches the terms of the contract, the Board may, in its sole discretion, suspend the parent’s child or children from further involvement in the Westwood Hockey program.