It's a issue which has been debated across Canada for years, more intensely for the past four.

At what age, or at what level of minor hockey, should players begin body contact?

In 2002, Hockey Canada changed the age classifications for minor hockey, allowing 11-year-olds to play in the pee wee division, where body checking is allowed in most of Canada.

In 2003, four of Hockey Canada's (HC) 13 branches decided to allow checking for boys as young as nine years of age. As a result, HC set a condition that those branches must participate in a pilot study on the impact of body checking.

Since then, numerous studies have been conducted by health groups, governments and HC, on the injuries caused by body contact and whether or not it's even necessary at the minor hockey level.

Many coaches, officials and hockey organizations argue that when you start players body checking earlier, they can take hits better, therefore lowering the risk of injury down the road.

A study published by the Canadian Medical Association Journal in July revealed twice as many 11-year-olds were injured and needed emergency care since body checking was allowed at their age. According to the study, the number of serious injuries more than doubled when body checking was introduced.

And what similar studies found, is four years down the road, the same amount of older kids are getting injured as well.

So at their annual general meeting in May, the Whitehorse Minor Hockey Association (WMHA) voted to make all levels of house league non-contact, from novice right through to midget. Last season, there was body contact allowed as low as the atom level.

'The biggest reason is risk management,' said Mike Young, the sport co-ordinator for WMHA. 'We also feel the overall number of participants will go up in house league and more will continue to play all the way to the end of midget, if the kids are more comfortable out there and not so worried about getting hurt.

'One of the problems we ran into, is everyone grows differently. So you have a big player who runs around scaring smaller kids, potentially hurting them. Those (smaller) kids may drop out because of that, so they don't get the opportunity to develop.'

The new rules may also draw more female players to WMHA, admitted Young. A lot of females drop out of hockey once they hit the level where hard hitting becomes part of the game especially when that hard hitting is amongst boys.

'I don't know for sure if that's a direct reason, but they do disappear come bantam and midget. We would love to see tons of girls playing hockey in Whitehorse.'

WMHA players will still be allowed to check their opponent by angling or pinning them along the boards, as well as taking the puck away. However, they cannot put all their weight and speed into hitting the player.

'Checking is a way of separating the puck from the player. That is still allowed. Body contact is not so much the focus on the puck, but more the puck carrier,' Young explained.

Young was quick to emphasize those who do want to play contact hockey can try out for the AA, and in some cases A, Yukon rep hockey teams. Hitting will still be present in rep practices, as well as in mini-tournaments held by the pee wee, bantam and midget Mustangs in Whitehorse.

Asked if the no-contact rules in house league might hurt the rep players, because they won't get as much practice with hitting and taking hits before heading to Outside tournaments, Young, who is a coach for the midget Mustangs and the 2007 Canada Games team, said, 'definitely not.'

'Coaches have a responsibility to work on drills in practice, remind the kids to keep their heads up. You can still do some contact drills and work on checking.'

He added the new rules in house league might actually benefit the rep hockey teams.

'One thing I noticed last year, was quite a few midget rep players weren't going to midget house league because they were worried about getting injured for their tournament that was two weeks later. So if anything, they'll be on the ice more often.'

The sport co-ordinator and coach admitted there may be a bit of an adjustment period for those players who are used to the old rules in minor hockey, especially the current midget players who have been using body contact for several years already.

'It will take a while to make that change, from going to a tournament where there's contact, coming back to non-contact, then going back to contact again. You just have to stay focused.

'Personally, I think it will be fine because I witnessed (this year's new Summer Hockey League), which basically had three teams consisting of midget-age players and it was a no-contact league. They were fine.'

Young said WMHA is 'by no means' the first association to implement non-contact at all minor hockey levels. In a lot of the larger cities down south, there are two options for minor hockey players they can either play contact or non-contact hockey.

He said WMHA obviously doesn't have the registration numbers to do the same thing, but are confident the new rules will work well.

'I believe the N.W.T. is non-contact hockey as well. When we played them at Arctic Winter Games in the final, that was a hard-hitting, fast-paced game. So you can tell the kids are still working on the (hitting) skills, they're just not necessarily playing with them in their house league either.'

Young said it is still the responsibility of WMHA to provide checking clinics for those players interested, so they learn how to safely throw and take hits.

There's a Hockey Canada Safety Program running September 30 in Whitehorse, as well as a Speak Out course, which is aimed at preventing abuse and harassment in hockey, scheduled for October 12 and 14. Those interested can register for either one or both at Sport Yukon.

The new non-contact rules aren't the only change to minor hockey this season. Rep teams will be playing up a division when they compete in house league.

For example, the pee wee AA squad will play in bantam house league, the bantam Mustangs will play in midget house league and the midget rep team will actually be playing in the Whitehorse Recreational Hockey League, among men.

In the past, there has been issues with insurance so the midgets weren't allowed to play in the rec league. But for the benefit of the midget Mustangs and the 2007 Canada Games team, said Young, 'both associations are willing to make it happen.'

General registration for Whitehorse minor hockey is already underway and can be done online, at www.whitehorseminorhockey.ca, or through Sport Yukon.