bullies are everywhere including the ice

My son is in his third year of travel hockey and has been bullied since way before he actually started playing hockey. His first month of just learning how to skate he had his first encounter with such a kid. During public session (time where the ice is open to the public), this kid would always get mad at my son. Why is he following him on the ice (which is stupid because then everybody on the ice is following him as everybody is going in the same direction) or he can’t even skate why is he trying to play hockey. Eventually my son and this kid, let’s call him Mike, would be teammates. There are moments that Mike would actually be nice to my son but there are moments in the locker room where he would ramble on about my son complaining about his inability to play hockey as if we are not there. Eventually some kids would follow suit. One other kid, let’s call him Bret, would sometimes take it to the ice and push my son around. Sometimes blaming it on the game if he accidentally hits my son. Bret and Mike are no longer my son’s team mates although Mike still plays for the same hockey club.

Now, have I aired this out before? Yes, definitely. But I was not met with supportive advice. I even got the “it’s part of the game, you can’t be part of the game if you can’t take it”.

Hmm….

I know and understand that hockey is a highly physical contact sport. I do not have a problem with that. I know that players can talk smack.

The following has happened to my son since the season started, all coming from the same kid.

• this kid repeatedly provokes my son into a heated discussion and even if my son tells him to stop he will not stop talking and if my son stops talking, he will start poking my son anywhere on his body until an adult takes notice and tells both of them to stop it
• during practice, in scrimmage situation, when faced against my son, this kid will take every opportunity to inflict pain which includes but is not exclusive to cross-checking and poke-checking.
• the most recent incident happened when my son slipped and fell on the ice and said kid kicked (with skates on) my son in the head (helmet on).

To me this disturbing behavior is escalating. This kid has no respect for the adults around him. He has been reprimanded several times. When will this stop? When somebody is in the hospital? Because that will not be my son. I refuse my son to be this kids’ punching bag.