The West Ferris Minor Hockey Association is commenting on an incident last weekend they describe as “an embarrassing display of emotion from parents” as two Atom House League teams were playing.

In a statement to BayToday, city police say their officers were called to Pete Palangio arena last Saturday after receiving a complaint of a fight.

Their investigation found a dispute in the stands was verbal in nature, the situation was defused and there was no assault.

While the hockey association says they won’t be commenting on the outcome of their own investigation, they have created a Zero Tolerance submission tool for anyone who witnesses an incident that may violate the Respect in Sport Program.

 

Here is the full statement released by the West Ferris Minor Hockey Association:

The Board of Directors of West Ferris Minor Hockey Association (WFMHA) has been informed of an unfortunate incident at Pete Palangio Arena on Saturday January 27th [sic], 2019 involving two Atom House League teams.

WFMHA is strongly committed to taking the appropriate measures to avoid incidents such as these going forward in order to provide a safe environment for players and spectators to enjoy the great game of hockey.

The incident was an embarrassing display of emotion from parents of both teams, the impact of which was felt by the volunteer Coaches, the 10 year old children playing a hockey game, the children refereeing the game, the children who were timekeeping and scorekeeping, and other spectators which also included other children. Furthermore, the comments that followed this on Social Media has also impacted other children on these platforms.

Simply put – the incident is far reaching to the children we are all trying to protect.

We have investigated this incident and continue to speak with all involved parties. We will not be commenting on the outcomes from this investigation as we believe them to be a confidential matter.

As part of our commitment to take appropriate measures, we have created a Zero Tolerance submission tool for anyone who witnesses an incident that may violate the Respect in Sport Program. We want to ensure the children participating in hockey; players, referees, timekeepers and any children in the stands, have a positive experience participating in hockey.

The Zero Tolerance submission tool can be found at: http://www.wfmha.ca/zero-tolerance

Q: What is Respect in Sport?

A: The Respect in Sport for Coaches and Activity Leaders Program is the program hockey coaches need to train your organizations’ youth leaders to recognize, understand and respond to issues of bullying, abuse, harassment and discrimination.

The Respect in Sport for Parents Program is effective and informative for parents and caregivers of active children. This program encourages positive sport behaviors, and provides insight for parents into the roles of coaches and officials.

Filed under: West Ferris Minor Hockey Association