Aboriginal leaders who've noticed an increase in hockey violence recently gathered Tuesday morning to urge respect in sports.
"We're stepping up to the plate and saying that we believe in zero tolerance in violence and to put good sportsmanship and goodwill back into the game,” said Chief Jim Bear from Brokenhead Ojibway Nation.
Tuesday’s press conference comes after a number of hockey fights involving players, referees, coaches and parents made the news.
Two incidents involved First Nations teams.
The southeast tournament organizers said there will be suspensions handed out to members of the Sagkeeng team, who were involved in a fight at the Southdale Community Centre.
"This is the first time that we've had a serious incident like this in 20 years,” said Joe Malcolm, hockey organizer for the Southeast Aboriginal Hockey Tournament.
Some First Nations leaders said surveillance cameras in hockey arenas could help deter violence.
Chief Jim Bear said the only colour people should be aware of on the ice is the color of the uniform.
He said they are coming forward because they are aboriginal community leaders, but adds violence in sport does not relate to race.
He urges other hockey organizations and NHL players to also set a good example.
Rick Ladouceur, Canlan Ice Sports general manager, said installing surveillance cameras in his arena four years ago has cut down on hockey violence.
He got them partly for security and to catch vandals. He said it's worth the $25,000 cost because when players, coaches and refs know their actions will be caught on video they are less likely to act out. They have used the video to decide on suspensions before, and have given copies to police in certain instances.
