Integrity of Parents in Minor Hockey

April 2, 2023

by Jeff Lynt

A scandal of egregious behavior and bribes is currently engulfing the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). The OHL has confirmed an investigation is looking into the allegation that GM's and coaches have accepted upwards of $30K+ to ensure their kids were picked in the OHL draft. 

Although these allegations are not proven they do provide are a stark reminder of the lengths some parents are willing to go to promote their kids. It's not enough for these parents to encourage and support their children's hockey careers; they're willing to cheat and undermine the integrity of the sport to ensure their kids get ahead.

This extreme example of bad behavior by parents may not be in all minor hockey associations, but the allegations highlight the need for greater integrity, accountability and transparency in the minor hockey.  These allegations make us reflect on the challenges facing our minor hockey organizations and the integrity of the sport overall.   Every minor hockey organization needs to take the time to review their code of conduct policies and procedures and make sure they don't run into similar problems as what may have  happened in the OHL.   

It's important to recognize that the vast majority of parents are involved in hockey organizations for the right reasons and parent involvement is essential for the survival of minor hockey organizations. Without volunteers, these organizations simply wouldn't exist. The challenge lies in balancing the need for parent involvement with the need to maintain accountability, transparency, and integrity in the game. To do this, organizations must ensure that parents are properly educated on their roles and responsibilities within the organization, as well as on the importance of fairness and sportsmanship. Additionally, organizations must establish clear codes of conduct that prohibit parents from using their influence to promote their child's interests, and provide clear channels for reporting conflicts of interest or other unethical behavior. 

Accountability and Transparency

By establishing clear policies and procedures and taking a zero-tolerance approach to misconduct, we can ensure that minor hockey organizations prioritize the best interests of the players and the integrity of the sport. This could involve harsh penalties for any parent, volunteer, or player who engages in misconduct or violates the code of conduct. This will create a fairer and more equitable system that promotes fairness and sportsmanship. By promoting a culture of accountability and integrity, organizations can ensure that the game remains fair and inclusive for all players, regardless of their background or connections. Ultimately, it's up to everyone involved in the game, from parents to coaches to scouts to organizations, to work together to promote the values of fairness and sportsmanship in minor hockey. 

Lack of transparency can lead to mistrust and frustration, which can definitely undermine the integrity of the sport. Addressing the issue of transparency in minor hockey organizations will help parents and players feel that decisions are not made behind closed doors and that there is transparency in all areas such as the player selection process. To ensure transparency in this example, minor hockey organizations should use impartial evaluators, establish clear criteria for team selection and ensure that these criteria are communicated to all stakeholders.

Conflicts of Interest

It's no secret that many parents want their children to succeed in hockey, and without strong integrity some parents get involved in the organization for the wrong reasons.  Parents may try to gain influence within the organization to help their children by seeking out opportunities such as coaching positions or board memberships to promote their child's interests. This can lead to conflicts of interest and unfair advantages for some players, compromising the integrity of the organization and the game. When parents take on roles such as coaching or management, conflicts of interest can arise, and without good integrity, the sport can be compromised.  Its vital that all parents understand the conflicts and recognize that they must uphold a high level of integrity and ensure their child is not receiving favoritism or preferential treatment.

In competitive hockey parents shouldn't coach at all, it's also essential that parents do not have influence over coaching decisions such as ice time, positions, or roles played on the team. This would lead to unfair treatment and favoritism toward certain players. It's crucial that no one parent or group of parents have any influence over the coach or his staff.  Measures should be put in place to make sure that it is well understood that this is unacceptable and that their child's future in the organization is at risk.

Politics and Campaigning

In addition to influencing and pressuring coaches, parents may also engage in promoting and marketing their children to coaches and organizations. This can involve social media campaigns, over-selling their child's accomplishments, seeking out favorable opportunities for their child, and even providing financial incentives to organizations. While it's natural for parents to want to promote their children, but some behavior can compromise the integrity of the player evaluation process and lead to unfair advantages for some players. It's important for parents to recognize that the success of their child in hockey should be based on their own merits and hard work, rather than the excessive efforts of their parents to promote them. By focusing on promoting fair play and sportsmanship, parents can contribute to a positive and supportive environment for their children, while also upholding the strong values. 

Parents playing politics in hockey organizations is a common issue that can compromise the integrity of the organization and the game itself.  Sometimes it's not enough that their kid has made the team, some parents use their influence to make sure their kids only play a certain position or get more playing time. While it's natural for parents to want the best for their child, they must understand that the team's success depends on the collective efforts of all players, not just their own child.  Parents who attempt to use their influence in this way can undermine the coach's authority and ultimately harm their child's development as a player. 

To prevent such actions, organizations should establish clear rules that prohibit parents from using their influence to promote their child's interests and it's important that all parents understand the lines that can't be crossed.  Organizations should provide clear channels for reporting conflicts of interest or other unethical behavior. By doing so, organizations can ensure that the game remains fair and inclusive, promoting a positive and supportive environment for all players, regardless of their background or connections. 

Keep it Real: The Dunning-Kruger Effect

The Dunning-Kruger Effect (named after psychologists David Dunning and Justin Kruger) is a cognitive bias in which parents and players with lower ability or knowledge overestimate their competence. This is a real phenomenon that has been observed extensively in minor hockey. Parents and coaches often suffer from this bias and overestimate a player's abilities, leading to pressure on coaches and scouts to place a player higher on depth charts or ranking lists, despite evidence to the contrary.  

The Dunning-Kruger Effect can lead to nefarious actions to ensure that a player is ranked higher or given a greater role than reality or skills dictates. The Dunning-Kruger Effect can have a significant impact on the promotion of a player, especially when combined with the Trump effect. The Trump effect is a phenomenon in which people believe that if they say something enough times, it becomes more believable, regardless of the evidence to the contrary.  When parents or coaches over-promote a player, exaggerating their abilities and accomplishments, it can put additional pressure on the child to perform, potentially leading to a decline in their confidence and enjoyment of the game. Additionally, other teammates may resent the child who is perceived to be fake or undeserving of their position on the team. This can lead to a breakdown in team dynamics and ultimately compromise the team's success. It's important for coaches to remain objective and always evaluate players based on merit and performance, rather than on the opinions or influences of others. By promoting a fair and transparent evaluation process, coaches can build a strong and cohesive team that upholds the values of accountability and integrity. 

Strong Code of Conduct

Organizations should establish clear policies and procedures for dealing with conflicts of interest and allegations of misconduct. This would create a more professionalized structure and would ensure that any conflicts of interest are identified and addressed in a timely manner.

To prevent bad behavior, the code of conduct should require all parents and volunteers to refrain from improperly influencing coaching and management decisions. in competitive hockey, it should also prohibit parents from coaching their own child's team and require all coaching positions to be filled by impartial volunteers or paid coaches.

The code of conduct should also address the issue of the fraternity among coaches in the organization. Coaches can influence each other's decisions, and this can lead to a lack of objectivity and fairness.  Coaches with kids in an organization should not be doing favours for each other and explicit rules should be clearly outlined in the code of conduct.  The code of conduct should require all coaches to refrain from any behavior that could be perceived as favoritism or bias towards any player.

Corporate Sponsorships

Another area that the code of conduct should address is the issue of team sponsorships. The code of conduct should require all parents and volunteers to disclose any potential conflicts of interest.  It should also prohibit any direct or indirect benefits to any parent, volunteer, or player based on a corporate sponsorship.  All sponsorships where you can draw a line to a parent who is using their influence inappropriately, should be prohibited unequivocally.  Furthermore, organizations should focus on attracting sponsors by developing a robust advertising program and actively seeking out sponsors who align with the organization's values, minor hockey organizations can establish partnerships that are beneficial for both parties. This can help to mitigate conflicts of interests.

Establishing clear expectations and consequences is key to ensuring that minor hockey organizations prioritize the best interests of the players and the integrity of the sport. By creating a code of conduct for parents and volunteers that addresses issues like corporate sponsorships, conflicts of interest, parental influence, and fraternity among coaches, we can promote greater accountability and transparency in hockey.

Advisory Board with Parent involvement

In conjunction with annual satisfaction surveys that solicit parent feedback, minor hockey organizations should also consider involving players and parents in the decision-making process. This could involve establishing advisory boards that include parents with coaches and management.  The board would provide input on important decisions. By involving players and parents in the decision-making process, minor hockey organizations can create a more collaborative and transparent environment that promotes trust and respect.

This is very different than one or a small group of parents improperly influencing a team coach but is an advisory board that would include a group of parents who would provide input and feedback to the entire minor hockey organization on important decisions. The board typically includes a diverse group of parents from different teams and age groups to ensure that all perspectives are represented. The would be elected each year and must have term limits.  The board would hold regular meetings with the organization's leadership to discuss issues such as team selection, coaching practices, and player development. By involving parents in the decision-making process, organizations can improve communication, decision-making, transparency, accountability, and player and parent satisfaction. The board would provide a forum for parents to voice their concerns and provide input on important decisions. This would improve communication between the organization and parents, leading to greater trust and respect. The board would also provide a diverse range of perspectives and ideas that could lead to better decision-making. By involving parents in the decision-making process, the organization would be able to make decisions that are more informed and better reflect the needs of the players and their families. Additionally, the board would create a more transparent environment, giving parents a better understanding of how decisions are made and why certain policies and procedures are in place. Lastly, the board would hold the organization accountable for its decisions and actions, ensuring that the organization is acting in the best interests of the players and their families.  It's extremely important to make sure that all involved in this board know an understand the conflict-of-interest policy in the code of conduct.

Oversight Bodies

Lastly, minor hockey organizations should consider establishing an independent oversight body.  This body would be made up of impartial volunteers who are responsible for monitoring the integrity of the sport in minor hockey organizations. They would conduct regular audits coaching and management practices, and team selection processes, investigating any allegations of misconduct or violations of the code of conduct. The oversight body would provide an impartial view of the organization's practices, promoting transparency and accountability and ensuring that they are following the code of conduct and best practices for promoting fairness and sportsmanship. By involving an impartial group of volunteers, the organization would be able to make decisions that are more informed and better reflect the needs of the players and their families. Additionally, promoting fairness and sportsmanship would ensure that the integrity of the sport is upheld, creating greater confidence in the sport among players, parents, and the broader community. 

Education and Communication

Educating members about accountability and integrity is essential for promoting fairness and sportsmanship in minor hockey organizations. To do this, organizations can establish a clear code of conduct, hold training sessions, and workshops, and create clear policies and procedures for dealing with conflicts of interest and allegations of misconduct. Communication is also key, with organizations promoting open and honest communication through regular meetings, town hall meetings, communication channels, newsletters, and feedback mechanisms. Additionally, mentorship programs can be established to provide guidance on best practices, and positive examples of behavior can be highlighted to promote a culture of accountability and integrity. 

By educating its membership and promoting open and transparent communication, minor hockey organizations can create a more collaborative and inclusive environment that promotes trust and respect, while upholding the values of accountability and integrity. 

In conclusion, the challenges facing minor hockey organizations are significant, but they can be overcome. By establishing clear policies and procedures, creating a culture of accountability and transparency, involving players and parents in the decision-making process, and educating stakeholders on the importance of promoting integrity in the sport, we can ensure that minor hockey organizations prioritize the best interests of the players and the integrity of the sport. However, these changes cannot be made overnight. It will take time and effort from all stakeholders involved in minor hockey organizations. This includes parents, coaches, volunteers, and the players themselves. It's crucial that everyone involved in minor hockey organizations understand the importance of promoting integrity and accountability in the sport.  The result will be a more equitable system that promotes fairness, sportsmanship, and the love of the game.

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