I can't speak specifically about Quebec but from the things I read online and hear from local hockey parents, there seems to be a much larger emphasis on practice and training these days than just going out, having fun with your friends and playing games. When I played minor hockey in the mid-1990s, your base registration got you 2 games and 1 practice per week. Guaranteed. Everything else beyond that (rep teams, out of town games, try-outs, etc.) was extra.
When I started minor hockey I dreaded practice. There were a couple coaches there who quite frankly scared me. They had no problem yelling at kids for making mistakes in individual drills. Looking back, pretty intense for a novice-aged practice.
By the time I got to Midget, I was even getting tired of that 1 practice a week. I'd rather just play more games. I wasn't going anywhere like the vast majority of players so why practice much at that point? It's only for fun really when you get to that stage. And hockey is one of my few true passions in life. So if I was tired of practice, what about others kids who enjoyed playing, but it wasn't the be-all, end-all for them. They just found other, more fun interests including other competitive sports, and quit hockey.
Everyone's development curve is different. How many great athletes (and potential future NHLers) have left minor hockey along the way in Atom/PeeWee/Bantam because they simply got tired of all the emphasis on practice and skills development and not enough emphasis on playing more games? A lot of that practice conducted by adults who have no business coaching kids.
When kids were playing on outdoor rinks and ponds and they had enough bodies around, they were playing games, not running drills. Now I hear it's normally 2 practices and 1 game. I don't think I'd play minor hockey if it was like that when I grew up.
