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Word from president:
I believe that athletes should never be left on the sidelines. My intention is to give all sports enthusiasts the opportunity to experience the benefits of organized sports, regardless of income/socio-economic status.  The main reason kids play any sport is for fun and recreation. Hitting and the risk of serious injuries, including concussions, can remove this motivation. Given the increasing risk of injury in hockey, it’s no surprise that enrolment in Hockey Canada-approved teams is currently about 550,000 players, down from more than 2,000,000 at its peak. Minor hockey registration is on a downward spiral and concerns have been expressed by Hockey Canada that in the next decade, there could be 200,000 fewer kids playing the game in Canada. The decision to allow body checking in minor hockey is unquestionably jeopardizing this wonderful sport by turning it from our traditional pastime into our most dangerous game. It certainly flies in the face of public health, safety and injury prevention; it also trumps medical science, common sense and civility. When medical experts and safety advocates say evidenced-based research shows injury-prevention and harm-reduction programs/initiatives are good for the health and safety of the players, everyone should take note. Bandy is an inexpensive alternative to Ice Hockey, which utilizes all the players on the team throughout a game. Bandy equipment is much lighter and cheaper when compared to Hockey equipment. One of the reasons for this is bandy strategy; players have to move faster and cover a bigger surface resembling a soccer size type of rink, in contrast to a smaller conventional hockey rink. Bandy is not a contact sport and therefore requires less protection. This is a key factor as more children can participate in bandy activity. It is relevant to note that hockey and bandy are not mutually exclusive. As a matter of fact, bandy is a perfect complementary activity to hockey. Bandy has been played by many well know NHL players. It is one of the cheapest sports to play; it provides excellent exercise, a great way to meet new friends and it is a lot of fun. In order to fulfill the ambitions of Canadian bandy fans everywhere, NBL will work to develop the best Canadian talent at an early age. The most successful clubs in Europe, Russia and America recognize the need to give young players the chance to train and compete at a high level at an early age. My goal is to bring Quebec bandy players to Winter Olympic Games 2014 in Sochi, Russia. The key points of Bandy: • Bandy is not a contact sport
• Bandy requires cheaper equipment. • Bandy is leaving nobody on the sidelines, during a match all 11 players play at the same time • Bandy is a perfect complementary activity to hockey and other sports. • Bandy is played with a bright orange ball, making it very easy to see outdoors. Lolita Nagnibedovsky |
