A minor hockey coach in Quebec has been suspended after children on the team were allegedly forced to do hundreds of pushups after a loss.
According to parents, the Lac St-Louis AAA team, comprising 11- to 12-year-olds, were forced to do between 100 and 350 pushups by their coach, Louis Isabella, after losing 7-2 to the Dollard-des-Ormeaux AAA team on Sept. 18.
Some parents complained to the Lac St-Louis Hockey Association, CTV Montreal reported, when some of the kids were unable to attend practice a few days later due to the pain in their arms. Hockey Quebec officials later decided to suspend Isabella pending a hearing and issued a statement obtained by CTV Montreal saying, “Hockey Quebec strongly disagrees with these actions and is completely against this practice."
One minor hockey coach, who is not involved with the Lac St-Louis AAA team, said that pushups were too harsh for the age group.
“At the end of the day it’s about teaching the kids the game and about having fun,” said John Mills. “I doubt many kids want to come back.”
According to other hockey parents, Isabella has been coaching minor hockey in the area for nearly 20 years and has been described as “old school” but not extreme.
With a report from CTV Montreal’s Caroline Van Vlaardingen
