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Yes, but it’s different than PWHL & men’s hockey
Yes, there’s checking in women’s hockey at the Olympics, but the rules are different than the men’s rules and the PWHL / SDHL rules.
In IIHF games, “bodychecking” is allowed when there is “clear intention of playing the puck or attempting to ‘gain possession’ of the puck”.
However, in the PWHL a player can check specifically to “separate her opponent from the puck”.
Even with these different rules for the Olympics, still expect play to be very physical. Honestly, it’ll come down to how the refs decide to call games.
“possession of the puck” vs “separate opponent from puck”
Another difference is play along the boards.
“they are not allowed to use the boards to make contact with an opponent to eliminate her from the play, push her into the boards, or pin her along the boards”
This is a little confusing to me because even though the rules say they allow “bodychecking”, this discourages a lot of physical play and seems to be called inconsistently by refs.
full IIHF rules: “Illegal hit in women’s hockey”
How did we get here?
Body checking was allowed in the inaugural 1990 IIHF Women’s World Championship but was removed midway through the tournament for safety reasons, because some players got concussions.
The SDHL (Swedish Women’s Hockey League) introduced body checking in 2022. The PWHL included bodychecking when it launched in 2024.
Is it sexist?
My gut reaction upon finding out that the checking rules were different for men and women was that it must be sexist. I come from a rugby background, which is a full contact sport where the rules are exactly the same for men and women. It seems to assume that women are naturally “weak” and can’t engage in “tough” activities.
Honestly, after I posted the video, I didn’t feel very good about my take. Although I still think it’s rooted in sexism, it’s ultimately a really nuanced issue and it’s pretty much impossible to have nuance on tiktok, LOL. Thankfully I have a newsletter now!
I asked people about it on our 365HockeyFam discord, and they made some really good points:
This rule could be due to skill disparities between teams. Is it fair / safe to have top ranked teams play lower ranked teams with body checking? Yet, these disparities are due to a lack of investment in women’s hockey programs compared to men’s hockey (sexism).
Not all players in the Olympics are used to playing in leagues with body checking. Sure, a lot players play in the SDHL or PWHL, but a lot of players play in other leagues, so it isn’t fair to them to have to do bodychecking just to play in the Olympics.
Women’s hockey doesn’t need to be exactly the same as men’s hockey in order to be an amazing sport.
The very physical style of hockey is a North American thing. The KHL and IIHF are more focused on speed and passing and use larger rinks.
Some players want body checking, but not all players want it; some players prefer to focus on skill and passing.
Ultimately, I think it would be sexist if men are creating women’s hockey rules that don’t align with what the players actually want.
Women’s hockey rules should reflect the game that they players want to play, whether that includes body checking or not!
What do the players want?
After the SDHL introduced body checking, there was a study done which found that 88% believed that it was good to introduce body checking in women's ice hockey.
This article by thehockeywriters is an interesting read as well. The article is from 2020, and asks players whether they think body checking should be in the women’s game. It’s super cool to read their opinions, because these players have so many different perspectives.
There may not be a “one size fits all” solution, but when it comes to body checking, I think the sport should match what the players want.
Is body checking actually more dangerous?
Honestly, I’m not sure.
The SDHL reported that introducing checking did not increase injuries. According to this AP article which was done after the Swedish Women’s Hockey League implemented body checking,
“Swedish hockey officials say the results have been overwhelmingly positive: The women’s game has become faster and more entertaining while concussions, which have been a scourge for the sport, have decreased.
Preventing concussions was the main driver behind the introduction of checking, as counterintuitive as that may seem. It has forced players to skate with their heads up, increasing their ice awareness.”
Yet, there are definitely still health risks when it comes to body checking, and there is limited research on concussions in women’s hockey.
Although the IIHF rules may be safer in some situations, I also think safety can be encouraged in body checking leagues if players receive proper training and extremely dangerous hits (such as opposite direction open ice hits and head contact) are discouraged.
How I’m moving this month 🇮🇹
Spotify keeps recommending me Italian rap why is it high key fire 🔥
Questions? Comments? Come hang on Discord!