The 2011-12 North East Alberta Junior B Hockey League officially dropped the puck on its regular season this month, with games in a handful of arenas across northeastern Alberta.
“It's always exciting this time of year," says league President Aaron Rawlake. He adds that it felt like the last season only just finished. Overall, Rawlake believes that “this season is going to be exciting, but it's going to be different."
The president has been busy helping answer questions fielded by the seven new coaches in the league. He admits that in past seasons he's been lucky, with most coaches already having some experience coaching in the league. This season, only two of the nine coaches in the league have coached in the NEAJBHL.
Along with the new coaching staff come a lot of new team managers also, which meant Rawlake was busy getting everyone “in the swing of things" as far as getting information out about league rules and registration.
This year, there are no league-specific rule changes to be aware of, thanks to a number of changes that were made a couple seasons ago.
“We made a rash of changes a couple years ago to tighten up on some things," explains Rawlake, adding, the league took a stance toward hit-to-the-head penalties, and now, Hockey Canada has caught up with what the NEAJBHL has been trying to do.
Rule 6.5 – Head Contact rule was approved by the Hockey Canada board in May, and is to be implemented as soon as hockey starts this season, according to the Hockey Canada website.
Part of the rule reads, “In junior hockey and senior hockey, a minor and a misconduct penalty, or a major and a game misconduct penalty, at the discretion of the referee based on the degree of violence of impact, shall be assessed to any player who checks an opponent in the head in any manner."
The website also offers some clarification on the new rule.
“Referees should be aware of the tragic consequences of head injuries and concussions and strictly enforce the rule … What previously may have been considered a legal check with a shoulder check to the head shall now be penalized as head contact if moderate or severe impact is made." More information is available on the website regarding the new rule, which also affects minor hockey players.
Personally, Rawlake says he doesn't feel that checking from behind is as big of an issue as it once was. He adds that some hits used to be “part of the culture of the game" but with the new focus on minimizing head injuries, kids are learning to play differently in minor hockey, leading up to the Junior B level.
“It's going to take some time" to reduce head injuries even more, but “it's nice to see the focus on this," said Rawlake.
This year's NEAJBHL schedule is also similar to previous seasons, with each team playing the other eight teams four times. Playoffs will also be organized in the same way.
As far as the number of players currently playing with the Junior B teams, Rawlake says, “One thing I've learned about junior teams is that they're always looking (for players)." Some teams will have a strong core, but they will always be looking for a few extra players, he says.
Rawlake understands it's sometimes tough to find players to join a junior team, as most potential players are out in the workforce or attending a post-secondary school.
“I tip my cap to the guys who run these teams," said Rawlake, who is confident that local teams will “find the right guys to put a pretty good product on the ice."
