Â鶹´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Newfoundland and Labrador hockey body axes post-game handshakes, citing 'issues'

Share
ST. JOHN'S, N.L. -

Amateur hockey games in Newfoundland and Labrador will no longer end with handshakes between the teams, according to a directive posted Thursday to a provincial hockey association's website.

Hockey NL, the governing body for amateur hockey in the province, said it is ending post-game handshakes.

"We have had some issues with handshakes following games that have led to suspensions for players and coaches," Gonzo Bennett, chair of Hockey NL's minor council executive committee, wrote in the memo.

Officials will instead direct both teams to their dressing rooms at the conclusion of each game, the note said. Before matches begin, the visiting team will skate by the home team's bench and offer a glove tap or handshake to wish their opponents a good game.

The mid-season memo is dated Wednesday and addressed to all minor hockey associations and leagues. An official with Hockey NL was not immediately available to answer questions.

The move comes as coach, parent and player conduct in amateur hockey is under increasing scrutiny. Last month, RCMP in Nova Scotia charged a coach for allegedly assaulting a referee during a game involving nine- and 10-year-old players. And amateur hockey associations across Canada have elected to put green armbands on teenage referees so parents and coaches think twice before hurling abuse at them.

In April, Kirsty Duncan, the Liberal member of Parliament for Etobicoke North and Canada's former sports minister, called on the federal government to launch a national inquiry into sports culture. Her call echoed those of several former and current Canadian athletes, including soccer players Ciara McCormack and Andrea Neil, and Olympic boxer Myriam Da Silva Rondeau.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 21, 2023.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

British Columbia saw a rare unanimous vote in its legislature in October 2019, when members passed a law adopting the United Nations Declarations on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, setting out standards including free, prior and informed consent for actions affecting them.

A pedestrian has died after reportedly getting struck by an OPP cruiser in Bala early Sunday morning.

Two and a half years after losing her best friend and first love to suicide, Brooke Ford shared her story of grief and resilience at the CMHA Windsor-Essex Suicide Awareness Walk.

opinion

opinion How to make the most out of your TFSA

The Tax-Free Savings Account can be a powerful savings tool and investment vehicle. Financial contributor Christopher Liew explains how they work and how to take full advantage of them so you can reach your financial goals faster.

Local Spotlight

A tale about a taxicab hauling gold and sinking through the ice on Larder Lake, Ont., in December 1937 has captivated a man from that town for decades.

When a group of B.C. filmmakers set out on a small fishing boat near Powell River last week, they hoped to capture some video for a documentary on humpback whales. What happened next blew their minds.

A pizza chain in Edmonton claims to have the world's largest deliverable pizza.

Sarah McLachlan is returning to her hometown of Halifax in November.

Wayne MacKay is still playing basketball twice at Mount Allison University at 87 years old.

A man from a small rural Alberta town is making music that makes people laugh.

An Indigenous artist has a buyer-beware warning ahead of Sept. 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

Police are looking to the public for help after thieves broke into a Lethbridge ice creamery, stealing from the store.

An ordinary day on the job delivering mail in East Elmwood quickly turned dramatic for Canada Post letter carrier Jared Plourde. A woman on his route was calling out in distress.

Stay Connected