A New Way to Play Hockey in Canada: Parents’ and Coaches’ Beliefs Regarding the Half-Ice Gameplay Model for Novice Hockey

Youth sport provides the opportunity for children to develop skills, motivation, and interests towards an active lifestyle. In Canada, more than 75% of young people (6-12 years old) are engaged in organized sport; more specifically, over 300 000 children participate in organized hockey. Hockey Canada recently decided to propose a new way to introduce young people to hockey by implementing the half-ice game play model for novice players (7-8 years old). Based on other similar contexts, changes in the culture of a sport tend to cause a divergence in public opinion, which makes them controversial, thus making implementation more difficult at the grassroots level. This paper studies the parents and coaches of young hockey players by measuring their beliefs regarding the half-ice game play model for novice hockey, in the preceding year to official implementation. More specifically, the objective is threefold: 1) to describe and verify parents’ and coaches’ beliefs regarding the half-ice game play model, 2) to examine their preferences regarding the format of play they believe is best for their children (or players), and 3) to verify if their beliefs differ based on their province or association. The sample consisted of 6,892 participants (81% parents, 19% coaches) from across Canada (8 provinces/regions). Questionnaires measuring socio-demographic factors, beliefs, and preferences regarding the play model were completed and group comparisons were conducted. Results indicate that mothers’ beliefs differ significantly from those of fathers and coaches. The second part of the analysis also reveals important differences, in terms of territorial predispositions towards the preferred format for novice ice hockey. To facilitate implementation of a new ice hockey program, the results of this study suggest there are crucial aspects to consider with respect to the education of parents and coaches. Further research perspectives based on a long-term approach are also discussed