Kids play hockey more skillfully and respectfully than ever, yet rough stuff still exists on the ice

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Tension is smoldering between each scrap for the puck and Blayke Nelson can often predict the spark 30 seconds ahead of time as he skates from corner to corner, his eyes fixed on the action and his whistle clenched between his teeth.

“A kid will get tripped up, think it’s a penalty, and you can see the anger in his face, and you’re like, ‘Oh, this is not going to end well,’” said Nelson, who officiates high school and youth games in Minnesota.

Developmental advancements and safety enhancements mirroring NHL trends have, by all accounts, made hockey as skillful and respectful as ever at the younger levels of the game. Fighting is a definite no-no — it means an ejection for players through high school across North America and even in the elite junior leagues — where fighting is simply penalized, as it is in the NHL — the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League surprised some observers this season by adding automatic suspensions for fight instigators and “aggressors.”

This is still a contact sport, though. Even if dropping the gloves is taboo for tweens and teens, boys frequently take a stand-your-ground attitude to the ice and stage a rare fight.

“The way you compete is different from a lot of other sports. It’s more aggressive, and I feel like you kind of hate the other team a little more,” said Finn Shepherd, a goalie at the 14-and-under level in St. Louis Park, a suburb of Minneapolis. “I think part of it is there’s no one beside the refs. Coaches can’t come onto the ice. The parents can’t jump over the boards. Players have helmets on, so they kind of feel hidden in a way. You’re under all that gear, and you think you can get away with it.”

Cheap shots on the goalie are quick ways to put a team in retaliation mode.

“There’s got to be a little bit of pushback, like, ‘Hey man, that’s not allowed,’” said Joe Dziedzic, the head coach of the Minneapolis varsity team combined from the city’s public high schools and a former NHL player. “We don’t want them taking penalties, but sometimes you’ve got to win the battle to get the war done. You’ve got to establish that this is something we’re taking pride in.”

Sometimes, a scrum breaks out. Shoving and shouting leads to a headlock or a stray punch. Every once in awhile, the benches might even clear.

“It definitely is there. The kids are also aware that they can’t fight,…