A Hockey Canada logo is seen on the door to a dressing room the organizations home rink in Calgary, Alta., Sunday, Nov. 6, 2022. Hockey Canada has implemented a new dressing room policy for the 2023-24 minor hockey season, including a "minimum attire rule," with the goal of respecting privacy and making dressing environments more inclusive. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
Hockey Canada has implemented a new dressing room policy for the 2023-24 minor hockey season, including a “minimum attire rule,” with the goal of respecting privacy and making dressing environments more inclusive.
The governing body requires that players wear minimum attire in a dressing room when surrounded by at least one other person.
The policy, which applies to all minor hockey teams sanctioned by Hockey Canada and its member associations, recommends that players arrive at the arena wearing a base layer.
Should a player arrive without a base layer, they’re to get changed in a private area, such as a bathroom stall, before joining the rest of the team in the dressing room and putting on their equipment.
Hockey Canada states it’s the responsibility of coaches and team staff to ensure players follow the policy.
The policy also outlines recommended best practices for the use of showers and prohibits violent activities and recordings in dressing environments. Hockey Canada is also introducing a “rule of two,” requiring two trained and screened adults to be present in or directly outside an open-door dressing room at once “to ensure it is free of any discrimination, harassment, bullying, or other forms of maltreatment.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 5, 2023.
