Game Misconduct: A qualitative examination of drop out in youth minor ice hockey.

Abstract

Four adults who played organized minor hockey within the Cape Breton Regional Municipality were interviewed to explore if parental involvement caused them to drop out of minor hockey as teenagers. A qualitative semi-structured interview method was used to obtain information about the lived experiences of former minor hockey players. Data was analyzed using the Braun and Clarke (2019) thematic analysis method. The findings suggest that players’ decisions to drop out of minor hockey include discontentment about the minor hockey experience, parental expectations and pressures, as well as interactions with other adults in the minor hockey environment, like coaches, teammates’ parents and parents from opposing teams. These findings provide insight into the reasons why minor hockey players drop out as teenagers and can be utilized by stakeholders like minor hockey organizations, coaches, and parents to better understand the impacts of various experiences have on minor hockey players.