A few safety concerns have been brought forward that need to be addressed before hockey this weekend.
Ear covers/guards
All players under OMHA are required to have ear guards on their helmets. Most helmets in Canada are sold with ear guards attached and therefore they cannot be removed or else they lose their CSA certification.
If you have removed the ear guards from your helmet, they must be re-installed.
“Cage Hang”
For the younger divisions, this may be accidental as a player's equipment may not be adjusted properly and the parents themselves are learning. Please have a look before going on the ice and help where needed.
The cage needs to properly fit into the side “J” clips while the chin pad is snug against the chin.
The older divisions, U15-U21 it seems to be more of a “style” choice with some of the “J” clips turned upside down. As of this weekend, this will no longer be accepted.
More detailed information on proper fit of all hockey equipment is available on the OMHA website.
Immediate Action
Player safety is our number one concern so these issues MUST be addressed before ice time this weekend, Feb 1st 2025.
The AMHL board and Head Referee have agreed that these safety concerns need to be enforced.
Starting this weekend, Referees will first give the player a warning and the ability to go correct their helmet. If the player returns to the ice and is seen with the same helmet issue, a 10 minute penalty will be enforced. Anything after that will be a game misconduct.
These are the same rules used to enforce mouth and neck guards. This applies for both House League and Select and all age divisions.
Thank you for your attention to these important player safety issues.