They need to start playing by the international rules that basically do not allow checking or boarding. Hockey should be about the skating and puck handling skills, not a brawl on ice. I remember when the Philadelphia Flyers had two players they called the "bruise brothers." Neither of them was worth a @!$%# as a hockey player, they were enforcers. They would be sent on the ice to literally try and take out a key player from the other team. The running joke in those days was "I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out." There is no reason for the violence in hockey. Eliminating checking would make the game about the skating and puck handling skill again, the way hockey should be.

JS, what 2 players were the Bruise Brothers in Phily? The Bruise Brothers in the 90's were on the Red Wings, Bob Probert and Joe Kocur. Checking has always been a part of hockey. And yes, those 2 were the enforcers, but they were also great players. I grew up watching those 2 play.

I have 2 nephews that played high school hockey. On the whole, it is a much safer sport than what it was 20 years ago. This is a terrible tragedy not only for the young man who may never walk again, but for the young man who caused it and will have to live with it. Eliminating checking all together is not a good idea, however, I do agree with the much stricter penalties.

I am not a hockey player but both of my sons play hockey and are 15 and 14 and have played for years and my 4 year old daugher will likely start playing next year. I worked in the ski industry for years in Vermont and Utah and the number of injuries and deaths in that sport far outnumber hockey injuries. I agree that penalties for boarding, hitting from behind and blows to the head should be increased to 10 minutes and multiple violations start multiple game suspensions. I feel for the families and the children injured but there are risks in any sport and every aspect of our lives.

you cannot change a sport, you can put rules a regulation all you want, hockey is a contact sport, if you want to make it safer, just BANNED it altogether.

just because one kids gets hurt you dont change the sport. Why not ask the kids what he wants or what he thinks??

but really you cannot change a contact sport, to impossible to enforce!

People love to see other stupid people play and entertain the other public because they know nothing else.

you dont see people risking their lives for a GAME!! its just a GAME!!!

This is one of the reasons why I never liked hockey. The way they allow all the fighting. Very un-sportsmanship like.

seriously..they bruise brothers? that was like 25 years ago man...when was the last time you watched a hockey game...if that's your point of reference then that's pretty sad.

Let's put everyone on the couch with a video game so no one can possibly get hurt and just before Presidents Day, ship everyone a trophy addressed to Occupant.

Girls Hockey in Minnesota is already regulated and the rules do not allow hard checking like Boys Hockey. There is going to be hard falls and occasional hits by rule breaking players, that's way they serve penalty minutes, suspensions, or bans if needed.

Boys Hockey is also regulated as well. Fighting and you're ejected. Swinging the stick in a blatant attempt to hurt will get you ejected and suspended if the Refs and League do their job.

I played Hockey at the high school level in Minnesota and it is not that rough. It's a contact sport and accidents and injuries will happen. In the four years I was in high school a paralyzing injury didn't happen once in the state, and how many thousands of kids played?

Well you're at it you might as well remove the pads from High School Football and play Flag Football. Football is by far a more violent sport.

It's very unfortunate what happened with these two kids. We don't need knee jerk reactions without looking into it.

The only way to keep your kids from becoming paralyzed from such a mindless, violent sport is to not let them play it, period. I wonder how the parents of that kid are feeling now. Having to spoon feed your son and change his colostomy bag for the rest of his life... was it worth it? The parents of this kid will pass away one day and leave this person on the earth for who to take care of? I hope they have a bucket of money.

Mindless, stupid sport that should be banned. I felt that way the moment I saw that stupid thug Canadian hockey throw the opposing player to the ice and broke his neck... for WHAT? To win a game where the entire talent is whipping the puck to the other side of the ice?

Lemonverbeena, you have no clue and your comment holds absolutely no bearing. Ice hockey is on e of the safest organized sports. If you don't believe me the look up the statistics yourself.... As for hockey being "mindless, violent", I would like you to try and attempt to play this sport. I believe your perception of the technical abilities along with the athleticism and quick thinking my make you come to the conclusion that this is a very "smart" game and non-violent IF played at the game was intended. As for body checking, the ONLY purpose of the hit is to removes the individual form the puck to break up a play. By the way, you can be seriously injured in any sport....

Lemonverbeena. Typical comment from a mindless American. Check the stats for your your own mindless sport - American football. Many more serious injuries in that game. If you are too dense to understand hockey then then stick to tiddlewinks.

So what ? we just keep checking someone from behind till we break his neck. sounds like a good sport to me, there is absolutely no reason for that kinda crap in any sport thats just intentional gross misconduct which should be punished severly. Sorry to say this but if i was thats kids father i would be in jail for assault on a minor let the @!$%# that did it find out what it feels like to be paralyzed the rest of your life.

Wow so a check from behind can leave a player paralyzed for life...and the player who knowingly does this most likely get a few minutes time out... lets see a few minutes out of a game vs. possibly being paralysed for life...then again what are the odds eh...

Randy, not all of us Americans are mindless, or hate hockey. I'm American, and it's one of the only sports I can actually sit down and watch, it keeps me entertained and it's lots of fun. I grew up playing street hockey as a kid and while as a college adult with the closest rink being an hour away and no available female teams in the area, I still absolutely love being on the ice.

Lemon seems to have a very strange conception of the sport. And the only way to keep our kids from becoming paralyzed ever would be to keep them at home in a little box and never let them out into the real world. Life is risk. And while I do think it's horrible that these kids have to deal with this for the rest of their lives, just think of the children injured or killed in car accidents, from bullies, even household items or their own parents. Yes, we need to protect them, but keeping from doing something they'd love just because you're afraid of very small "what ifs"? It's an awful way to live. In this case it's the refs duty to make sure these kids are playing safe. The article even says the boy was checked TWICE in the same game from behind. It shouldn't have happened a second time.

Mindless??? hmm who the one that got hurt?? was it an american?? hmmm i wonder who is mindless in this arguement.

its just a sport! you gain nothing from it, just injuries and well maybe some glory fame, but is it worth it?? i think not.

RandyT, I realize you live in the middle of nowhere and hockey is probably all you have in life (sad), but you're not the one who will be wiping this boys drool for the rest of his life, or helping him hide the embarrassment of uncontrolled bodily functions. Easy for YOU to say these things in defense of your stupid game, but maybe you should have to take care of this child for ONE month, and THEN ask yourself (unless you're that dense) if this was worth it. What about his dreams? He can go to college yes, my friend is a lawyer, but he has never had a successful relationship due to the strains of his care, and he desperately wanted children. He cannot live on his own, and has to have a nurse 24/7. You willing to chip in for that? You willing to devote yourself to something besides face painting the colors of your mindless team?

chamuco12, so you're saying the other player that checked her knew her actions would be severe? It's very obvious you have never played the sport. What are the possibilities that the young woman hurt turned her back to the player just to draw a penalty??? That is a VERY COMMON practice among Hockey players!

I'm not sure that aggressive and wonderful can be used in the same sentence. Hockey, like most spectator sports, is a narcotic to keep you from experiencing life itself. It fuels the dualistic confrontational paradigm that keeps us a beer drinking country of TV watchers who are sold the ideas that confrontation, competition, and violence are the standard memes and values of society. All the while playing into this marketed and sole lifestyle for the masses while giving away our time and money. Turn off the TV, get outside, and watch yourself do something that involves cooperation.

this isnt pro hockey this is high school hockey. I doubt this "semi" organized league of yours even had full equipment. The game is faster and harder hitting than it was in the mid 50s and 70s dramatically so. This was a tragedy but pretending like the game of the 50s is the same game as todays hockey is putting on blinders to reality.

I've heard something similar about football injuries too. Because players are getting to be bigger and stronger, and there's more padding they feel like they can hit harder. As a result, when an injury does happen it's much more serious. The game just isn't the same as it used to be.

Same for hockey. The sport in general is getting more aggressive so the injuries are getting worse. However, the Pro hockey of the old days could still get pretty fierce. I'm a Sabres fan and I've got a book that has images all the way back to the 70's, and there's plenty of fights and bloodied faces in it.

This was a tragedy but pretending like the game of the 50s is the same game as todays hockey is putting on blinders to reality.

Nonsense. Tucky is right: There is literally no need for checking in hockey. Unlike football, no part of the game requires contact with another player. Anyone who's actually played the sport knows that its the lazy, immature and ineffective players that spend most of their time checking. The talented ones go for the puck and the score, not the hit. As the article stated: "Officials, youth coaches, parents and players have to oppose overly aggressive behavior." Players need to leave their antisocial behavioral problems off the ice. Problem players (and parents) need to be sent packing.

demongravewolf- you are 100% correct. the equipment worn today is more like body armor. you can plow someone over at full speed and barely feel it.

the people above thinking that hockey has degenerated into "MMA style theatrics and violence" has never watched a game played before the year 2000. it used to be a LOT worse- especially in the 1970's. you wanna see MMA style theatrics and violence? go watch the "St. Patrick's Day Massacre" "Rangers at Blues brawl" or " 1992 St. Louis Blues vs Detroit Redwings Brawl" on youtube.

those Enforcers , that you know nothing about, didnt skate around looking to take out a team's top player. they actually helped PREVENT these kinds of devastating injuries to players. you didnt do that back then. why? because the opposing team's enforcer would hunt you down and beat you to a bloody pulp. i dont know about you but i have no fear of a suspension vs getting my butt kicked.

the knee-jerk reactions from people who are not hockey fans and are clueless about the sport are hilarious! " take out the checking! wrap everything including the players in bubble wrap! ban the sport!"- sorry guys, NONE OF THAT WILL EVER HAPPEN. for every 1 of you there are 10,000 hockey fans and players who will tell you to get bent , go home and bake a cake.

@DaveB001 You obviously never played hockey it is a fast paced sport that does need checking it been part of the game for a long time. The good players do not only go for the puck that a statement from a non fan who believes all the propaganda out there about the best sport in the world. What needs to change is the win at all costs attitudes of coaches who send players out on ice just to stir things up. And believe it or not sometimes accidents just happen , i would bet you see just as many if not more injuries in Football. Also you plain old get some psychos like in any sport that just should not be playing any games that are meant to be fun and challenging.

Garp, there's a serious difference in the checking or hitting involved in normal hockey play (it is a contact sport after all) and the dirty checking or charging that involves running into or shoving a player at top speed to cause them to land headfirst into the boards. If these kids aren't learning how to do it properly or bad checks aren't being penalized harshly enough, then there's a big problem.

Garp, not only have I played hockey, I still do from time to time. Regardless of how fast-paced the sport is, anyone who insists that it can't be played without checking hasn't given it serious thought. In reality, hockey doesn't require checking any more than basketball does. Although checking has been commonplace for a long, long time, it's simply not necessary to play the game. That doesn't mean there won't still be collisions and accidents (I managed to separate my shoulder in a nonchecking game.) and I completely agree with your comments about the "win at all cost" attitudes of some coaches (and parents) and the issue of psychos playing in sports where they don't belong. But I find that nonchecking actually speeds up the game considerably while decreasing injuries. I don't think legal checking creates many serious injuries, especially among younger, smaller players, but it definitely increases the kind of smaller injuries (sprains, torn cartilage, etc.) that tend to come back and haunt you later in life. Is it worth it? Not IMHO. If one takes the time to actually teach kids how to skate, stick handle and play skilled defense, hopefully they won't have as much need to resort to throwing themselves around like a sack of potatoes in a desperate attempt to slow down the opposing players.

I have been around this sport for over 30 years. As a player, coach, referee and now just a fan, I can say that the biggest problem with hockey is not the sport. While many call it a contact sport it is a collision sport. Some of these skates can move very fast and with any common sense, hitting a wall, physics just takes over. Equipment is improving and making the game safer, the change in the rules in the pros by taking out the redline also changed the way the game was played. I can say that the game is sped up slightly in the non checking adult leagues. However, when you take the checking out of the game, the sticks become much more of a weapon of frustration. I received more cuts, bruises, broken wrist in this league than I did in my entire career. I quit playing the game because of this. The refs did a good job but some were way over their heads in ability. Fans, players and coaches continue burn up refs for making calls. Everything we do has risk, as a society we do everything we can to reduce the risk.
Statistically speaking, you have a higher likelihood of being struck by lightening than being paralyzed or killed in hockey. It is just one of those risks that can happen as a result of physics.

Now on the other side, those who are caught placing other players in dangerous situations need to be taught (penalized) with mandatory suspensions. This should include knees and stick infractions. Not
one game or two, but two weeks to start. This means no practice or games for the first offense. Repeat offenders escalate to longer offenses. Accidents happen, tripping and hitting someone into the boards as you are falling sometimes happens. This needs to be evaluated. How? By making it mandatory that all games are recorded for review. Then each incident can be evaluated and show back to the player for feedback.

Breaking the rules isn't just an accident.

Carnaldiem - don't be a dumbass. Accidents do happen... boarding, slashing, cross-checking, checking in the back and the likes are not accidents. They are intentional and will cause bodily harm. nobody is over reacting, just trying to clean up a rough game. Kids get carried away with trying to be the enforcer out there. And yes I did play hockey also. We got tough but not violent. There is a way to play this game without being dirty. My prayers go out to Jack, Jenna, and the others hurt unnecessarily.

Nobody is saying to ban skates pal. What SHOULD be banned is reckless, mindless, violent sports where the refs turn the other cheek and players get broken necks, among other injuries. My husband, a lifelong hockey fan until about 10 years ago even said there's no skill anymore. All they do is dump the puck to the other end.

Did you get pleasure seeing people get their necks broken? If so, seek help.

all of you need to settle down. not a year goes by without a kid getting a broken neck playing football. do we ban tackling now? the injuries are accidental! no one is trying to put permanent hurt on anyone. just because you've heard about it a couple times in the last year does not make it epidemic. and by the way, boarding, slashing, cross-checking, checking in the back and the like ARE intentional and occur everyday on every ice rink in the world. only a small few cause great bodily harm.

Tony T, I don't know if you know but there is a saying known as either the "Bobby Orr Hat Trick" and /or the " Gordie Howe Hat Trick". This is when a player gets a GOAL, ASSIST and a FIGHT in one game. Although I truly believe he is the best defenseman to ever play the game of hockey, he was also a bruiser in his own right who even in his own autobiography states he was dirty just as with the rest of his teammates like Espy, Cashman Sanderson and Dallas Smith to name a few... I do agree with you seeing a "Bobby Orr" play (end to end) is a rare but great thing to see...

Not much of a chance of that. We live near the area, and the local paper said his spinal cord was severed.

Severed..... hmmmmm.... what sport do you consistently see THAT happening in? I realize people like Seana and others above live in cities they were obviously born and raised with hockey because there isn't anything else going on and no one would otherwise live there, but that doesn't excuse it. I guess you guys and guy-girls can sit there and say "yeah, break his neck" while you down your 10th Genessee beer and a bag of Fritos, but you're not the ones playing, nor are you going to be the ones who change this young mans colostomy and urine bag for the rest of his life, turn him constantly so he doesn't get bed sores to the point of hospitalization and spend the rest of your lives rushing him to the hospital for life threatening infections because he literally cannot move mucous or air properly because he cannot move. I have a good friend who has lived this nightmare for 30 years so I know firsthand. I cannot tell you the amount of times he told me he wishes he could end his life. This kids life is all but over, and for WHAT???????? Pop another Genny and think about that one.

Oh, and for the poster who said to ask this kid what he wants or thinks? You obviously cannot read because he wants whatever is needed in place to protect someone else from his nightmare. A sport is not worth giving your life up for. He's SIXTEEN for God's sake.

Lemon, you seem to be under the impression this happens all the time. It doesn't. In fact, when I typed in "NHL player paralyzed" into a search engine just to find another instance somewhere, all it gave me was the story of this ONE kid.

Considering the thousands of people that play the sport worldwide, you're in more danger driving to the supermarket. So I suppose going to the mall isn't worth giving your life up for. Neither is climbing down some stairs or a ladder, or perhaps even riding a horse. I suppose you can't let your children play on the monkey bars or anything else that they might get hurt. It isn't worth it after all, right?

You also have a strange idea of what you imagine other people to be like, without even knowing anything about them. You seem to assume we're all drunken losers that wish death on everyone. You don't even know what we've done with our lives, if we've played the game or maybe if we also have known someone in a similar position. The fact is, you're ignorant and a real downer. If you only focus on the parts of life that suck, then that's all it's going to be for you.

Go sit in your bubble wrapped box and leave the rest of us to our more exciting and productive lives.

Hockey rules need to change – Broken necks and spinal injuries are a lot more common then you think. I myself broke my neck in a hockey accident over 30 years ago and after hearing about Jack and then Jenna I finally had to sound off - this is crazy.

I am a C5/C6 quadriplegic confined to a Wheelchair and live just outside Toronto... I don't know if you know the number of kids that break their necks and end up in a wheelchair but the last time I checked just here in Canada we averaged between 8-10 kids a year (1980's and 1990's not sure in the 2000-2011 time frame).

Everything is kept pretty quiet in the Hockey world so it might be tough to get and accurate number of kids ending up in wheelchairs… but I believe we can stop a lot of these broken necks with a simple rule change to play the puck first. (PUCK FIRST ZONE).

Unfortunately it is your time in the spot light and hopefully the hockey world will listen and wake up.

What? You blame Americans for "all these sports"? WTF? Let's see: Rugby: english. Hurling: Irish. Cricket: english. (What? You think cricket is safe? Ha! try going to bat against a fast bowler...or playing the slips...). Rackets: english (makes squash look like a whimp's game). How about F1 car racing: Europe. Or bicycle racing: europe. Or mountaineering: europe. Or downhill skiing: europe. OR Soccer! Did you know that there are paralysis cases every year from soccer?

Did you live in a cardboard box when you were a kid? Sheesh.

Yes, and players should be ejected from the game for fighting. Pro hockey is notorious for fighting..the fans love it and cheer them on. Some role models for our kids... Idiot fans that had too much to drink edging on the players!!!

Rubbish. Kids get paralyzed doing lots of things. Skateboarding. Climbing trees. Snowboarding. Rock climbing. Getting in car accidents caused by a drunk parent. Being hit by a car while walking or riding.

Attacking ice hockey altogether because a very few people are paralyzed shows your total lack of awareness of overall risk management. I played hockey for 25 years. I never, never saw a person paralyzed. In fact I don't even know anyone personally who was paralyzed, either. But I know quite a few people who were paralyzed by other means. One schoolmate got hurt from bodysurfing.

Dangerous checking should of course have stiff penalties. The NHL fight culture is not hockey. There is great hockey in the NHL, but the fighting is embarrassing. Never mind the NHL. The best thing for junior hockey is to reject the NHL as a role model. That's what my coaches did. Ironically one of us made it to the NHL anyway...

I've never seen anyone wear a pad between the bottom of the helmet and the top of the shoulder pad.

Fighting is disgraceful, but there is nothing wrong with checking. Boarding, cross-checking, checking from behind are bad. Wedging your opponent into the boards to trap him is good hockey and not dangerous. Mid-ice defensive checking is not dangerous either--where defenceman is skating backwards and he quickly stops and puts his shoulder into the offenseman carrying the puck. There are many, many completely safe checks.

Perhaps the principal risk factor for paralysis is the boards themselves. Note that a girl was paralyzed. High speed combined with loss of control and a collision with the boards is the biggest risk. As a player, I can tell you, that is the only real scary thing. You have to trust your feet, when you skate hard into the corner...