Body checking rule change approved at “A” level

The Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL) today announced the progressive elimination of body checking at the “A” level commencing with the Minor Bantam level in the 2015-16 season. The GTHL Board of Directors proposed the rule change, which was approved by GTHL Member Clubs and Associations with a majority vote of 326 to 195 during a General Meeting today at Humber College in Toronto.

The rule change is a result of feedback received from a league-wide survey on the topic of body checking conducted during the 2013-14 season. The majority of respondents in that survey supported the removal of body checking at the “A”level.

The GTHL Board of Directors initially proposed a rule change at the GTHL Annual General Meeting in June 2014 to move forward with the progressive elimination of body checking at the “A”level for the 2015-16 season; that motion was then amended at the meeting to commence in the 2014-15 season, but the amended motion was subsequently defeated by a slim margin.

The GTHL Board of Directors called today’s General Meeting to ensure potential changes to the body checking rules were considered and resolved before tryouts begin in April.

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