The mother and coach of a 16-year-old from New Hamburg say they’re unhappy with a decision by the Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA) to suspend the hockey player after he defended himself during an on-ice interaction.

During a game on March 7, Patti Jacobs said, a player called her son Jordan the N-word while players were on the ice.

The New Hamburg Junior Firebirds U18 player, who is Black, responded to the slur by calling the other player racist and he swore at him, she said.

Initially, the OMHA suspended both players for seven games for misconduct under the Hockey Canada rule book.

Rule 11.4 says any player or team official “who engages in taunts, insults or intimidation based on discriminatory grounds will be assessed a gross misconduct penalty.”

The association has since said Jordan’s suspension has been reduced to three games. The other player’s suspension remained at seven games.

“We have zero tolerance for discriminatory slurs of any kind,” the OMHA said in an email to CBC News on Tuesday.

“We have also been consistent throughout the year in discouraging any form of retaliation from our participants that involves derogatory or disrespectful behaviour or language.”

Patti said this is not the first time her son has faced adversity on the ice.

“Through his life, he’s always been met with these types of situations and has always been able to rise above them and power through,” she said. “But I think that this time was just the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

‘Penalized for standing up for himself’

Zach Mark, coach of the Junior Firebirds U18 team, said the OMHA was wrong to punish both players.

Jordan “should be able to speak freely and to be able to stand up for himself,” Mark said. “To be penalized for standing up for himself and for that to now be on his record is very disappointing.”

Mark said it is important for the association to consider what Jordan’s options were after a racial slur was hurled at him.

“Our player used his words to stand up for himself and to call out and call the opposing player a racist. So he got seven games for that. But if he would have dropped his gloves and fought the other player, he would have only gotten a two-game suspension,” he said.

“So what are you promoting? Do you want him to verbally stand up for himself, physically stand up for himself? Or do you want him to just act like it never happened and shrug it off?”

Patti said the three-game suspension still feels unfair, but she doesn’t feel there’s much more she and her son can do at this point.

“What’s done is done,” she said. “I think at this point it’s more just kind of about moving forward and doing what we can to help protect all these other kids out there that are dealing with this and are maybe scared to speak up right now.”