Anyone who’s ever watched a kid’s hockey game has likely seen them: overly aggressive parents taking their children’s game far too seriously. Now, signs posted at rinks across Canada are using a bit of humour to remind these parents what we all want to say: It’s just a game.
The signs read:
Please remember:
- These are kids
- This is a game
- Parents should cheer for everyone
- Referees are human
- You and your child do not play for the Canucks
The signs have gone up at two rinks in Port Moody, B.C. where many hockey fans are taking pictures of them to post on Facebook.
Hockey mom Patty Stracqualursi says she thinks the message is a great one.
"It tells all of us to take a moment and take a step back and really think what you are saying to the children,” she says.
The rinks in Port Moody aren’t the first to post the signs. In fact, variations of them are going up all across Canada and the U.S.
It’s not clear who created the first one, but it seems that a sign posted at rinks in Hoffman Estates, a suburb of Chicago, were the first to go viral. Pictures of that sign have been making the rounds on Facebook and Twitter since the beginning of the year. (Of course, Rule No. 5 on that sign is a little different, reminding parents, “You and your child do not play for the Blackhawks.”)
Port Moody Mayor Mike Clay says he loved the signs when he first saw them.
"We all have those parents who take life a little too seriously on behalf of their kids. And we thought, ‘We'll have a little bit of fun while we are still delivering the message,” he told CTV British Columbia.
"Maybe that'll make the difference. Maybe that'll make them think twice before they go crazy."
He also hopes that a little bit of humour is the best way to convey the message. While signs at other rinks warn spectators about all the things they can`t bring and can`t do, these signs are more of a reminder of why we play and watch hockey in the first place: it`s supposed to be fun. It`s a message that Clay hopes parents will take to heart.
"Do your kids a favour -- just relax and put a smile on your face and you know, it will all work out,” he says. It’s just as game.”
With a report from CTV British Columbia’s Scott Hurst
