Why isn't checking allowed in women's hockey?

[Konnan511]

It has nothing to do with sexism or that women are fragile. It has everything to do with the massive gaps between the couple skilled countries against other teams who have to play 15 year olds to ice a team. If hitting was allowed, Canada and the US would widen their gap even more than it already is.

 

[MuckOG]

I don't see the women begging for checking to be part of the game..If they don't want it, why force it on them?

 

[KingKopitar11*]

Skin, bone and muscle all have the same tolerance. Force equals mass times acceleration. The women would be fine.

I don't really know, I'm just trying to guess as to why. I tried to apply men are more physically stronger. Other than that I don't know.

 

[Pominville Knows]

I think the reason for it (correctly) is because womens hockey is not as developed as mens in that - there are women playing and also 15, 16 year old girls (basically children). I think that is the reason why hitting is not and allowed and it should not be in female hockey

There is a reason why "15-16 year old girls" are playing with older women.(Does not seem too be too many of those on the competitive US and Canada teams, hardly on any other either.) They get fully grown much earlier than men. And even if they cant handle it, they would just have to stay with the juniors a while longer.

 

[En7ropy]

Well, if they're going to play some grinding game or trapping game on big ice, you do need the horses for that system. Which means bigger women with wheels and a lot of strength. Which means investment in training and facilities.

You make it sound like Drago in Rocky four. You do know that conditioning doesn't necessarily require million dollar facilities right? Especially in this day and age, just about anyone with the will can gain high end strength and endurance (check out cross fit for example). If anything to sharpen high end skills would require more hockey oriented infrastructure then any good grinder would.

 

[KingKopitar11*]

I don't see the women begging for checking to be part of the game..If they don't want it, why force it on them?

That too.

 

[ElTailR]

Anyone getting caught with her head down like that would have the same result no matter the gender, if anything she probably wouldn't have left herself open like that knowing a hit could be coming her way.

Yeah but if I know I wouldn't receive any check I can let my head down and they are used to it. Allowing the check would have to begin with changing all of this habits, so almost starting a whole new sport

 

[KingKopitar11*]

Yeah but if I know I wouldn't receive any check I can let my head down and they are used to it. Allowing the check would have to begin with changing all of this habits, so almost starting a whole new sport

Wow. That's probably the best reason right there. Good job.

 

[En7ropy]

It has nothing to do with sexism or that women are fragile. It has everything to do with the massive gaps between the couple skilled countries against other teams who have to play 15 year olds to ice a team. If hitting was allowed, Canada and the US would widen their gap even more than it already is.

Again, a less skilled team could ice a team that is more defensively oriented and have more options to implement that game. In other words effectively slowing (or speeding up) the game to their advantage (dump and chance, trap, collapsing on the net etc.).

Right now the more skilled teams can just about blast past and around any players unimpeded. If anything, a more physical game would tighten the game.

 

[Balderis19]

There is a reason why "15-16 year old girls" are playing with older women.(Does not seem too be too many of those on the competitive US and Canada teams, hardly on any other either.) They get fully grown much earlier than men. And even if they cant handle it, they would just have to stay with the juniors a while longer.

You are right. My bad. Do not know where I had this from, but there really are not that many young girls on the olympic rosters

 

[En7ropy]

Yeah but if I know I wouldn't receive any check I can let my head down and they are used to it. Allowing the check would have to begin with changing all of this habits, so almost starting a whole new sport

You're bordering on Reductio ad absurdum in insinuating that the women part of the hockey world couldn't adapt fast enough or at all (while men, I might point out do regularly make that very same transition at the bantam level, 15 year old, the age group that was just pointed out) even at the Olympic athlete level.

 

[MuckOG]

Again, where is the outcry among women and girls to introduce checking to their game?

 

[ElTailR]

You're bordering on Reductio ad absurdum in insinuating that the women part of the hockey world couldn't adapt fast enough or at all (while men, I might point out do regularly make that very same transition at the bantam level, 15 year old, the age group that was just pointed out) even at the Olympic athlete level.

A 15 year old girl will adapt as good as a 15 year old boy, but even the rest of her career won't be enough for a 25 year old woman.

 

[En7ropy]

Again, where is the outcry among women and girls to introduce checking to their game?

Prior to women suffrage there was similar arguments, a lot of women were against the vote. A lot of people have made it in the status quo (in any social change in any part of society) who have no interest in risking their positions by promoting change.

 

[Konnan511]

Again, a less skilled team could ice a team that is more defensively oriented and have more options to implement that game. In other words effectively slowing (or speeding up) the game to their advantage (dump and chance, trap, collapsing on the net etc.).

Right now the more skilled teams can just about blast past and around any players unimpeded. If anything, a more physical game would tighten the game.

It's not just the skill differential, it's also size and physicality. If one team is bigger faster stronger, you think allowing more physicality will help the slower weaker team? The answer is no. Try playing basketball against someone 100lbs and a foot taller than you, if you allow physicality you will get creamed, but if you have rules in place where it's a skill and finesse game, then you might have a slim chance.

 

[En7ropy]

A 15 year old girl will adapt as good as a 15 year old boy, but even the rest of her career won't be enough for a 25 year old woman.

What is this assumption based on exactly? Or is it just another "it's so obvious so let's not even look into it"?

 

[LiveeviL]

It is an obsolete rule. Women compete in martial arts for Christ's sake.

 

[ElTailR]

What is this assumption based on exactly? Or is it just another "it's so obvious so let's not even look into it"?

On the assumption that changing your habits as a teenager is so much easier than at 25 years old. It's true for both men and women and not just in hockey...

 

[En7ropy]

It's not just the skill differential, it's also size and physicality. If one team is bigger faster stronger, you think allowing more physicality will help the slower weaker team? The answer is no. Try playing basketball against someone 100lbs and a foot taller than you, if you allow physicality you will get creamed, but if you have rules in place where it's a skill and finesse game, then you might have a slim chance.

I've never meant to make the allusion that it would be a sure fire way of completely killing the gap but the examples stated have been proven formulas in all levels of hockey (IIHF, Oympics, NHL, AHL, CHL, NCAA, KHL etc.)

But we need to digress to the topic at hand which is why body checking shouldn't be (at least) considered in the women's game.

PS. Basket ball is a horrible comparison , it directly affects the game that is height based and little to no contact on the court.

 

[canuck2010]

It's not just the skill differential, it's also size and physicality. If one team is bigger faster stronger, you think allowing more physicality will help the slower weaker team? The answer is no. Try playing basketball against someone 100lbs and a foot taller than you, if you allow physicality you will get creamed, but if you have rules in place where it's a skill and finesse game, then you might have a slim chance.

The point is you choose different players. The standard way to play a more highly skilled team is to bang and crash. Maybe Ms. Kessel etc. might be happy to sit on the bench for a while after taking a big hit while she is dipsy doodling around with her head down. It's been a part of the game forever.

 

[En7ropy]

On the assumption that changing your habits as a teenager is so much easier than at 25 years old. It's true for both men and women and not just in hockey...

You're insinuating that this change of habit would take more then a career's worth to change if done later then the teenage years. This is quite the learning curve, I wonder where this assumption comes from?

 

[SirClintonPortis]

You make it sound like Drago in Rocky four. You do know that conditioning doesn't necessarily require million dollar facilities right? Especially in this day and age, just about anyone with the will can gain high end strength and endurance (check out cross fit for example). If anything to sharpen high end skills would require more hockey oriented infrastructure then any good grinder would.

So, why do elite franchises, and not just hockey franchises, but pro NFL teams, invest in dedicated facilities then? It because extracting that extra sliver of performance requires it.

 

[Sinkkunaattori]

Have you guys seen women's soccer national teams play? That is a brutal, brutal sport... Men's soccer seems so sissy compared to women, and if they would let women have hits in hockey it'd be a morgue-on-ice.

 

[En7ropy]

So, why do elite franchises, and not just hockey franchises, but pro NFL teams, invest in dedicated facilities then? It because extracting that extra sliver of performance requires it.

I don't see where you're going with this, by that mentality the women's game should be squashed all together.

 

[MuckOG]

Prior to women suffrage there was similar arguments, a lot of women were against the vote. A lot of people have made it in the status quo (in any social change in any part of society) who have no interest in risking their positions by promoting change.

Well, I can tell you that from serving on a board at both the local and district level, that if checking were introduced to girls hockey, you would see participation drop big time. You see many girls play with the boys up until they hit checking age, then head over to the girls side for the simple fact that they don't want checking. If they did, they would continue playing with the boys...and a few do. But 99 out of 100 do not.

Girls and boys are different. There's no harm in saying that.