This column is an opinion by John Spencer, a former educator and active volunteer with the Port aux Basques Minor Hockey Association and Hockey Newfoundland and Labrador. For more information about CBC’s Opinion section, please see the FAQ.

I had volunteered to act as the Hockey Newfoundland and Labrador (HNL) coordinator for an Easter tournament in Port aux Basques. It was my second provincial event in as many weeks. In total it meant volunteering to be in the arena for six days and overseeing 22 games. With each tournament came a list of duties outlined in a HNL policy manual.

At the second tournament the manual was a little thicker with ice time guidelines for players, complete with a number of sample letters with a bold headline “Hockey NL ice time allocation sanctioning letter” neatly tucked in the back.

Locked in my email was another HNL document that was key to a series of events that were to follow on the provincial Fair play policy. HNL was on a mission to ensure every child involved in a tournament got equal ice time.

It sounds truly altruistic. But was it reality? 

History has taught us that Minor Hockey and Easter tournaments are about winning gold. Easter tournaments in N.L. are a rite of passage for some — it ranks up there with baptism.

At least that was my experience at Easter tournaments over the years as a coach, before moving into municipal politics. There was nothing but potholes to deal with in that field. In retrospect, though, bringing about change in culture involving fair play in minor hockey at Easter may be akin to municipal politics and provincewide regionalization.

But imagine sitting high up in the stands with pen and clipboard in hand and attempting to ensure every child got equal ice time, or at least as close to equal ice time as possible, to fulfil HNL’s fair play guidelines.

It can’t be done!

There are too many variables beyond our control as volunteers. There are uneven numbers on each bench, long periods with no stoppage in play, players tiring quicker than others, players that can skate forever. The best that can be achieved is looking for balance as players on either side rolled the bench whether in full stride with play in motion or during a stoppage.

Standing alone as coordinator with the unenviable position of “judge and jury” on fair play for all was a pressure cooker no volunteer should be trapped into. After all, you are a volunteer.

‘Are you serious?’

So, how did this 11-game Easter tournament go? 

Shortly after the puck dropped in the opening game a HNL provincial executive member, who happened to be attending in dual role as a parent, approached with a complaint that fair play by a coach was not evident. I was directed to complete a sanction letter and deliver said document to the alleged offender.

Delivery would be a problem. As a coordinator to walk to a bench during a game? Not happening! If it was to be done, it would be in private. Well, that’s how it went.

The coach’s reaction? “Are you serious?” 

The second game, both coaches were cited. It was now getting a little too stressful for this volunteer. The same reaction. The same disappointment. The same frustration for both coaches.

My thinking at this juncture was did I bump my head as I entered the arena? Was this something new? Was it me? Was I being too draconian?

These teams had been playing for an entire season. All three coaches now had me thinking, “Are you serious?” 

Watching the line

The rise in my stress level seemed to have raised a bar beyond. Up to the championship game, benches appeared to be operating like a well-oiled fair play mechanism — frequent changes, lots of changes on the fly, lots of movement up and down the benches. Volunteers were providing opportunities for young players to get out there. 

Was it perfect in relation to fair play on ice time allocation? Well, no. But it was far better than the anxieties created during the first two games.

Actually, the easiest to follow on fair play were the goalies. Yes, goalies had to be guaranteed equal time excluding the championship game when the coach had final say. No problem. Watch for the mid-game switch. Or, then again, coaches had the option of a complete game rotation, guaranteeing equal playing time.

All is well. That is, of course, unless a goalie gives up five straight goals. Yes, after five goals a switch can be made. Then what happens if one goalie is not feeling well?

As coordinator, the monitoring of ice time got so much simpler for a team carrying one keeper.

In the championship game each team under fair play guidelines was easily recognizable given the line ups. One team, at the start of the game, had a roster combination as recommended by HNL — two forwards less than the opposing team. Definitely an advantage.

This was later slightly nullified when a player who was not feeling well at the start of the game joined play in the second period. Recognizing that recording jersey numbers as changes happened wasn’t perfect, there were some very interesting observations.   

Both benches were following HNL fair play recommendations on line combinations. The results were very close in the average number of shifts per-player on each bench coming in at 10.5 and 10.9. While the range between highest and lowest number of shifts for both benches could have improved, these teams demonstrated amazingly close comparisons.

It’s also worth noting that each bench had four players that logged the greater number of shifts. These players were easily identified because of skill level. One team exercised its option to play its goalie for the entire game. Not a point of contention and HNL guideline followed. There was no concern for the other team since this team carried only one keeper.

Overall, it was a highly competitive game with the winner edging out victory by just one goal to raise the banner as the provincial champs in a relatively low scoring game.

Was it fair play as proclaimed by HNL? Hardly not. But from my position as coordinator, it was more than reasonable play for all.

For the love of the game

As a volunteer for two provincial tournaments this Easter season, HNL’s minor hockey program is in great shape.

A fantastic group of volunteers is keeping an Easter hockey traditional alive for thousands of our young ambassadors crisscrossing this great province.

Yes, there are always areas to work on. The process certainly needs work. For example, there needs to be more time dealing with complexities individual coaches may face. Greater liaison between the HNL coordinator and individual coaches rather than proscriptive notices needs to happen. Defining limits in policy may look great on paper but it certainly doesn’t feel great for a “stand alone” volunteer coordinator.

Balancing the opportunity for “changes on the fly” on both benches would improve things during those longer periods between whistles. Some teams were great at changing on the fly while others… let’s say a greater emphasis would not have gone astray.

However, for the most part things appeared to have went well. After 22 games over two weekends there might have been rumbling, and probably lots of texting, but no formal complaints. The best doesn’t result from over zealous paranoia. It comes from trust. Trust those who have been tasked with the enormous responsibility as a coordinator.

Achieving fair play will always be about finding a balance between the “glitter of Easter gold” and what coaches deem is fair for all.

What will not work are individuals thrown into the mix, expected to make decisions beyond their scope as volunteers.

Would I return as a coordinator in the future? In a heartbeat, for the love of the game.

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