A Fort Frances hockey coach is the latest to be assessed a penalty for discrimination.
A gross misconduct penalty was issued during the first period of the under-13 final of Hockey Northwestern Ontario’s Tournament of Champions this past weekend in Thunder Bay.
Teams from Fort Frances and Sioux Lookout were involved.
The region’s governing hockey body would not elaborate on the circumstances that led to the penalty but says the action was directed toward a young official under 18 who was wearing a green armband.
Young officials wear green as part of a separate initiative to eliminate abuse toward them.
HNO says the official followed proper procedure in making the call, which was later upgraded as a violation under section 11.4 of Hockey Canada’s Rule Book.
It states “Any player or team official who engages in taunts, insults, or intimidation based on discriminatory grounds will be assessed a gross misconduct penalty.”
These grounds may include race, religion, age, gender, family status, genetic characteristics or disability.
Hockey Canada instituted new rules in 2021 to curb incidents of abusive behaviour on the ice.
HNO says it is reviewing as it does all suspensions and will act accordingly if further action is required.
Players or team officials assessed a gross misconduct for discrimination can face a minimum five-game ban to an indefinite suspension.
During the first year the discrimination penalty came into force, Hockey Canada says it was called 11 times in northwestern Ontario hockey rinks during the 2021-22 season.
This dropped to 6 in 2022-23 and 2 incidents in the 2023-24 hockey season.
