In Saskatchewan few things are as ingrained into the community fabric as hockey.
So when the relationship between a local coach and one of his players hits the news because of more than goals, assists, wins and losses, it sends some serious ripples.
The story hit after Yorkton Rawtec Maulers Coach Kevin Rawlick took John Bear, 16, a member of his AAA Midget team into the office for a talking to.
On Nov. 10, Bear was called into a room with head coach-general manager Kevin Rawlick and three unidentified adults. Bear, by himself, recorded on his phone the conversation with the coach.
The recording was released a few days later when the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations held a joint press conference in Saskatoon with Josh Bear and his father Tim Bear — both of whom are members of Ochapowace First Nation.
When the matter went public Ochapowace First Nation Chief Margaret Bear and FSIN Chief Bobby Cameron spoke in support of Josh Bear, calling for Rawlick to be removed as Maulers coach and for an end to verbal abuse in minor hockey.
The Maulers Hockey Club has since sent out a release confirming due to disciplinary issues, Bear had been issued his uncontested release.
“We have had an opportunity to listen to the audio recording between our coach, Kevin Rawlick, and one of our former players. Although we do not condone the use of profanity, we support the message that was delivered by our coach,” noted the release.
“As a result of the profanity, Yorkton Minor Hockey has placed Kevin Rawlick on probation for the remainder of the hockey season. Coach Rawlick supports and is in agreement with the directive and he will enroll in and complete the Respect in Sport Program for both the Coach and Parent programs, no later than Dec. 15, 2017.”
As might be expected the matter has hit social media in a significant way since the press conference, with people coming out in support of Rawlick’s handling of the situation, and those calling for his removal.
Those in support point to a man dedicated to the sport of hockey and to helping young players develop.
That, however, is not the issue here.
It is the repeated use of expletive words in getting his message across to the young player, and whether that is abusive.
Does a coach get his message across to a player by adding intermittent tirades of expletives?
A number of people have pointed out expletives are part of hockey culture, many having heard coaches using such language for years. They seem to think their experiences in the past legitimize Rawlick’s approach.
But their experiences in the past do not make it the right way for coaches to deal with players today.
We used to smoke in places of businesses, restaurants and bars too, but we have become better informed and changed that.
We used to drive without seatbelts and that too has changed as we became better informed.
It seems likely expletive tirades should change as well.
If a Grade 10 history teacher talked to a student with the same language there would be outrage, and that some think sports should be seen differently at best is disquieting, and at worst is an antiquated viewpoint.
Does that mean Rawlick should be fired?
Probation and training have been called for, and that seems reasonable given the tape. Clearly minor hockey needs to be proactive moving forward with mandatory Respect in Sport training.
The key here is to move forward with a better understanding that expletives are no more acceptable on the hockey ice than in schools, or business.
