A minor hockey coach in Laval, Que. has been benched by his league following complaints about a punishment meted out after a loss. It’s the second such incident in Quebec minor hockey in two months.

The nine- and 10-year-old players on the Laval-North Cobra Atom AA team were forced to run around a hockey arena for 20 minutes in full equipment last weekend after losing 5-2.

Parents waiting in the stands didn’t see it happen because the coach took the children outside through a side door, said Benoit Puskas, interim president of Hockey Laval-North. When parents found out, many immediately complained to the league.

The association met with the coach, heard his explanation, and asked for his resignation. He complied.

"He said it wasn't a punishment. He said it was an upgrade for cardio, but you know, bad timing. It’s not the way to do it," said Puskas.

A workout should take place at a practice, not following a game, he said.

"Maybe with the jersey on, he could do it like that, but after a game with the equipment, it's not something we want to go forward on with our association," said Puskas.

Bengi Vidicek's son played for the Laval-North AA Cobras last year, and he said running in full gear is nothing compared to what children were forced to do then.

"He made them go around cones in a circle, figure eights different ways, for an hour and a half. So, I mean I don't mind hard practices but there's a limit," he said.

"At the end of the year, he'd be coming out of games crying."

Puskas said the coach, who has an “old-school approach” had worked with the Laval-North league for two years, and had two years' prior experience with another club.

"He had a history and we thought that he would learn from past experience and it didn't happen.”

The association will not name the coach in question, but will meet with parents this weekend.

"Boot camps can't happen anymore. It's got to be fun coming to the arena," said Puskas.

The Lac. St. Louis Hockey Association suspended a peewee AAA coach for a year in October after he forced players to do hundreds of pushups as punishment.

With a report from CTV Montreal