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Doyle: Suspended minor hockey coach finally reinstated
loosepucks.com 12/20/10 15:56 blog

It took way too long, but a minor hockey coach who took a stand against racism in a Peterborough midget house league can finally go back behind the bench.
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Greg Walsh made national headlines when he pulled his team off the ice after one of his players was on the receiving end of a racial slur during a midget house league game in Peterborough in November. The Ontario Minor Hockey Association held a hearing into the incident and decided to uphold Walsh's suspension for the remainder of the hockey season. But now, the OMHA's Board of Directors has decided to overturn the suspension and allow Walsh to get back to coaching.

The incident happened during a mix-up between two players in a Peterborough Minor Hockey Association game. One was accused of directing "The N-word" towards the other player, who is black, while in the penalty box. The on-ice officials did not hear it, but it was overheard by timekeepers. Walsh informed the referees and the opposing coach of it and informed both that if the player was allowed to return to the game – his team would not. When the player who used the slur returned in the third period, Walsh and his players decided they would not play and left the ice.

The player involved along with the coach, who is also President of the Peterborough Minor Hockey Association, were both suspended three games and have since returned to action. But Walsh was facing a more severe punishment for pulling his team off the ice and failing to play.

Before I go further, I will disclose that I know Walsh through my days in Peterborough. But I have not spoken to him since this incident occurred, or actually in a couple years since I moved to Sarnia.

I do not agree with how the Ontario Hockey Minor Hockey Association handled this incident. First of all, the hearing should have occurred quickly. Why was it a few weeks before a hearing took place? In this day-and-age of modern technology – conference calls, web meetings, etc. could have taken place if a face-to-face was difficult to coordinate. I understand the rule, and potential severe punishment, for pulling your team off the ice. That rule is necessary so that you don't have coaches pulling their team off anytime a coach is unhappy with a referee. The integrity of the game itself could be compromised if a coach could withdraw his team anytime they are losing and a call is missed. But the OMHA stuck to its rulebook and slapped Coach Walsh with a major suspension, despite evidence his team had been wronged. The lengthy suspension was justified by saying that it could have been a calendar year. Since that ruling came down, there have been whispers that major sponsors were threatening to pull their support from the OMHA.

How do I think it should have been handled?

If I was heading up this situation, I would have thanked Walsh for bringing this situation to light and taking a stand. But I would have also asked him to acknowledge withdrawing his team from a game is not something that can be taken lightly no matter the situation. With that in mind, I would have reinstated him immediately after the hearing, calling it "time served". He could not go unpunished for pulling his team off the ice, that is a rule and he was aware of it. But to sit out the rest of the year for taking a stand against something we all agree with him taking a stand against was ridiculous. I would have also ordered a review of player conduct regarding racial, ethic and social discrimination in all minor hockey branches under their jurisdiction. What is the punishment for stooping to that level? How is it to be handled if not heard by the on-ice officials? What should a player do if he/she feels they have been victimized not only by an opponent, but what if the comments are coming from their own team? It can happen.

People are calling the three-game suspension to the coach and player involved to be too light. You have to factor in how many games that league plays. I do not have that number, but when I played house league hockey we played one game per week with another game thrown in on a weeknight every couple weeks. This is not the OHL where three games could be served over one weekend. Three games is also a higher percentage of the season than a league like the OHL. I believe the player involved is remorseful for what happened, and his suspension along with an apology should suffice. If it happens again – well of course that is different and penalties should escalate for repeat offenders. But one slip of the tongue should not tarnish a person for life if they are willing to learn from it.

Running minor hockey is not an easy task – it is a job I certainly would not want. You have overzealous parents who think their kid is heading to the National Hockey League going up against people who are just looking for a recreational activity. Hopefully this situation will turn into a lesson for minor hockey executives as well. At least the OMHA Board of Directors got it right in the end.

tdoyle@loosepucks.com
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Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."