The long -awaited report of Quebec’s committee on hockey development was made public Thursday afternoon in Quebec. In particular, it suggests prioritizing the fun of the game for children and then optimizing the development of our athletes, girls and boys.
This 15 -person committee, set up in December at the request of Premier François Legault and led by former NHL goaltender and RDS analyst Marc Denis, presents a series of nine recommendations to oversee and improve hockey’s development in amin:
- Raise hockey to the rank of Quebec’s national sport;
- Include ice skate learning in the elementary curriculum;
- Make hockey accessible to everyone;
- Prioritize the development of women’s hockey;
- Prioritize the enjoyment of children’s play;
- Optimize the talent development of our athletes;
- Increase respect and safety in hockey;
- Provide Quebec with appropriate infrastructure for hockey development;
- Give Hockey Québec the power to manage and guide the future of Québec hockey.
While the committee suggests several courses of action for each of the nine recommendations, the report makes a big difference between hockey practice before and after age 13.
If it is proposed to include the study of ice skating in the school program from elementary school, it is also suggested to completely redefine the competitive model for under 13 years of age. Up to and including the U13 category, we propose to remove rankings and statistics, to reduce performance expectations of parents and coaches.
The committee also wants to take steps to facilitate access to hockey for all families by combating major barriers to its implementation, whether financial or material. The report suggests tax breaks.
Committee members also spent considerable time on the development of athletes between the ages of 13 and their release from minor hockey. But they also want to continue the development of hockey beyond junior hockey and go through university hockey programs, which are rare in Quebec.
They believe that current structures do not promote the optimal development of hockey players, especially because of the sometimes destructive competition between certain schools and association programs.
This competition is detrimental to the development of hockey in Quebec. The expectations of young people are too high, as is the pressure on programs and their leaderscan we read in the report.
It proposes the reorganization of provincial leagues such as the U18 AAA (formerly known as the Midget AAA League) and a ban on upgrading of 14-year-olds.
Some proposed measures also affect the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), such as establishing a review and evaluation system for requests for exceptional status for 16 -year -old players.
The Courteau circuit will also be affected by the committee’s proposal to ban the exchange of active players before he completes his high school and also ban recall mid -season.
We also suggest reviewing and improving the ratio of games/training in QMJHL.
Infrastructure to improve
The committee also said it was surprised to notice Quebec’s lag in terms of the quality and quantity of rinks suitable for practicing hockey and other ice sports.
Therefore, he advocates the construction of covered and refrigerated skating rinks, which are cheaper and more versatile than arenas.
The committee proposes to set up a national training and development center at the Institut national du sport du Québec.
We are talking about building a training and development complex with two rinks so that Hockey Quebec can rely on a complete service offer for the evaluation of players for Quebec teams.
It is understood that Patinage Québec (the figure skating federation) may also set up its elite programs there.
This center will be used for U18 men’s and development teams in women’s hockey and for hockey, but also for training officers and coaches, and research.
Source: Radio-Canada
