SaltWire E-Edition

Cheers &Jeers

JEERS: UNFAIR PUNISHMENT

A Yarmouth minor hockey team says it's unfair that one of their players is not only being punished for something he didn't do, but he's being punished for something that never happened.

Fourteen-year-old Sawyer Kristensen was watching his teammates from the sidelines this past weekend after receiving a three-game suspension while the Yarmouth Mariners 15UAA team was playing in Antigonish the weekend before. He received a 5-minute match penalty for spearing another player and his multi-game suspension comes as his team will be playing in provincial playdowns this coming weekend. Last weekend he missed their last league game.

No one is disputing the fact that an Antigonish player went down on the ice during that game two weeks ago. But everyone is disputing that the Yarmouth player had anything to do with it.

The injured player said Sawyer was not near him and didn't touch him. The player went down when his hip flexor let go as he was skating up the ice.

The Antigonish coach said Sawyer had nothing to do with their player being hurt.

The Antigonish player's father said Sawyer was absolutely not to blame.

And there are two videos shot from two different angles that show Sawyer was not near the Antigonish player, nor did he interfere with him.

So everyone has been in agreement – except for Hockey Nova Scotia.

The Yarmouth team, and the Yarmouth County Minor Hockey Association, asked Hockey Nova

Scotia to reverse the suspension. It sent back a curt response to the Yarmouth team and minor hockey association saying the call cannot be reversed and they consider the matter to be closed.

What a terrible message this sends to young minor hockey players – that you can do absolutely nothing wrong but be punished anyway.

That there can be lots of evidence proving you did nothing wrong but it doesn't matter. You're going to be punished anyway.

Even when the other team is saying the punishment is wrong and unjust, it still doesn't matter.

(You can read the full story about this matter on our website Saltwire.com. The story wasn't yet complete at the time of this newspaper's Monday deadline.)

We can completely understand why Hockey Nova Scotia doesn't want to receive a flood of emails, texts and phone calls after every weekend of hockey asking that suspensions and rulings of officials be overturned. That's not what the Yarmouth team wants either. While they don't always like the calls throughout the season, or even agree with them, they still respect the calls that officials make during a game.

But the team also says respect is a two-way street. Sawyer never touched the other player. He never caused him injury. There is no disputing this.

The Yarmouth Mariners are not angry that the initial call was made. They say it was a mistake and feel that Hockey Nova Scotia should just do the right thing and reverse the suspension. Perhaps rethink its policies in a clear-cut situations like this.

Not just for the team, but especially for Sawyer. And if not for Sawyer, then for the next player who is punished for something they also didn't do.

This is truly unfair.

What ever happened to sportsmanship?

OPINION

en-ca

2023-03-22T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-03-22T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://saltwire.pressreader.com/article/281573769937857

SaltWire Network