Abstract
In sport, including hockey, overly aggressive behaviours have been excused because they occur within a contact sport (Eitzen, 2006). Through experience and reinforcement as their participation in sport increases, young athletes learn to integrate aggression into their style of play (Loughead & Leith, 2001). Players' toughness and willingness to "pay the price" are often expected and praised within the hockey world (Theberge, 1997). Although these unwritten rules are not formulated into an explicit code that can be read from start to finish, they are still part of an informal set of understandings that are used not only by players but also often appear to be promoted and emphasized by coaches and parents. The purpose of this paper is to discuss how parents and players deal with prevailing pressures of integrating and accepting body checking in competitive youth hockey. More specifically, the paper presents findings from an in-depth case study of one "Peewee AA" (11-12 years old) boys' hockey team in which the perceptions of parents and players in relation to body checking are explored. While Hockey Canada(2010) states that when correctly taught, body checking can enhance a player's enjoyment of the game, the findings of this study are inconsistent with the aforementioned statement. Despite players' apprehensions, body checking was encouraged for what it explicitly symbolizes in terms of portraying desired competitive character, winning hockey games, as well as characterizing young players' masculinity. Clearly, body checking was one symbol that inferred various meanings, depending on the situation, the audience, as well as the purpose.Acknowledgments: Dr. Janice Ahola-Sidaway, Thesis Supervisor