Canada’s Quebec Major Junior League to enact important rule change to ban fights

The subject of fights in hockey has been lengthy debated, however now one skilled league has determined to place an finish to it.

New Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) Commissioner Mario Cecchini introduced a ban on combating, beginning subsequent season. 

The QMJHL is without doubt one of the three junior leagues in Canada.

It stays to be seen what the opposite two leagues, the Western Hockey League and the Ontario Hockey League, will do in response to the QMJHL’s resolution. 

Tommy Veilleux (17) of the Victoriaville Tigres and Julien Carrignan-Labe (6) of the Drummondville Voltigeurs combat throughout a Quebec Major Junior Hockey League recreation on the Centre Marcel Dionne in Drummondville, Quebec, Canada, on March 9, 2014. (Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images)

“We clearly have to enhance on these conditions and even eradicate them in some instances,” Cecchini mentioned of combating and hazing.

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He additionally expressed his perception the rule change is pivotal to altering the league’s tradition.

“How do you make a tradition change? With numerous willpower, with numerous conviction and with numerous precision and readability in the way you count on everybody to behave,” Cecchini mentioned. “For me, that’s going to be paramount.”

Erick Tremblay of Rimouski Oceanique, left, fights Nick Fugere of the Gatineau Olympiques throughout a Quebec Major Junior Hockey League recreation at Robert Guertin Arena in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada, on Nov. 13, 2004. (Andre Ringuette/Getty Images)

Cecchini changed Gilles Courteau, who introduced his resignation earlier this month amid intense scrutiny among the many province’s politicians over hazing and initiations.

The 65-year-old Courteau introduced his departure after 37 years main the junior hockey league and only a 12 months away from his deliberate 2024 retirement.

The QMJHL governors not too long ago voted on a brand new rule that will penalize gamers concerned in a combat. The gamers can be topic to a recreation misconduct. Officials did notice that if one participant is defending himself in opposition to an apparent aggressor, he might keep away from punishment.

The president of the QMJHL government committee, Richard Létourneau, later confirmed the league was going forward with a combating ban.

Marty Doyle of the Shawinigan Cataractes, left, and David Starenky of the Gatineau Olympiques combat throughout a Quebec Major Junior Hockey recreation at Robert-Guertin Center in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada, on Oct. 22, 2004. (Andre Ringuette/Getty Images)

“Yes, fights are prohibited,” Létourneau mentioned. “Now, the small print need to be finalized. We have an expanded hockey committee made up of normal managers, coaches and house owners, to provide you with a approach to apply this rule and have it accepted by the minister and have it ratified at our June members’ meeting.”

In September 2020, the QMJHL modified its rule on combating. Violators confronted a 10-minute misconduct as a substitute of the same old 5 minutes for a combating penalty. If a participant was concerned in three fights in a single season, he can be topic to a one-game suspension.

The rule change was in response to the Quebec Minister for Education’s risk to withhold monetary support from the league’s Quebec-based groups.