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Hazing in hockey: How far is too far?

Brian Elliott

St. Louis Blues left wing Alexander Steen’s shot goes past Vancouver Canucks goalie Cory Schneider (35) during third period NHL hockey action at Rogers Arena on Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2011, in Vancouver, British Columbia. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jonathan Hayward)

AP

There’s a story circulating around the interwebs this afternoon about a Manitoba Junior Hockey League coach who has been suspended as his team allegedly hazed a 15-year-old teammate. While it’s a sad reality that hazing occurs in just about every sport all over North America, the CBC is reporting that the boys on the Neepawa Natives took it to a whole new level.

The CBC article is something you should check out the piece in its entirety. Straight from the source: “The parents of a 15-year-old player told CBC News on Wednesday that their son was forced to dance in the team’s dressing room, then drag around water bottles that were tied to his genitals.”

People can debate the merits and importance of hazing within team-building, but there’s no way this type of behavior can be condoned. The worst part is that some parents are saying that the coach was in the locker room while all of this was going on.

It’s a modern-day example of a problem that has been around sports for decades. So let’s throw this out to the PHT readers. What do you think? We can all agree that this alleged situation goes way too far—but does hazing have a place in sports? Players deal with it, coaches look the other way, and parents fear it.

What say you fair readers?