The minor hockey coach at the centre of a controversy spoke out on Thursday.
Hockey officials confirmed Wednesday they were investigating allegations that a coach with the Norberry-Glenlee Knights held a fight lesson for teenage players on the team.
He didn't want to appear on camera but spoke via phone on Dec. 13 to CTV News.
The coach said he doesn’t condone violence and he doesn’t teach his players to attack others on the ice.
He said, however, that fighting is an unfortunate reality in the game, even in minor hockey.
The coach said his team has been involved in two fights in its last three or four games - fights that he believes were the results of unprovoked attacks on his players.
Sources tell CTV News the coach was trying to show players how to defend themselves, if attacked.
If that is indeed what happened, Hockey Manitoba said it’s still not allowed.
“The game is being monitored by officials. Officials are responsible for calling the game. I think for coaches it is important for us to ensure there is discipline on the team. So there are mechanisms in place, certainly from support from the parents, from the coaches, the officials. That's how we manage our game,” said Peter Woods from Hockey Manitoba.
Some parents of teens on the Norberry-Glenlee Knights said they’re disturbed by the allegations.
The coach also has supporters, including some who are upset by the media attention the case has attracted.
The coach told CTV News he has the support of the majority of his players and nearly all of them don’t understand the hoopla.
The St. Vital Minor Hockey Association is slated to hold a hearing the evening of Dec. 13 with players, parents and coaches from the Norberry-Glenlee Knights.
