Good for you Renee! :thumbsup:
Melanie is indeed correct.
What may seem like a tight fit with bulky jackets, sweaters, and the evil "Bundle Me's" will in fact turn into straps so loose that your child could be ejected out of the harness in the event of a crash. The bulky clothing items will indeed compress. For an easy example of this, go grab a great big bulky down jacket. Now fold it up and see how small of a ball you can make it. THAT'S compression!
It's the same principal behind those Space Saver Bags. As for the hockey gear itself, just think how it would feel to have that stuff rammed into your body with several hundred pounds, or more, of force. Ask the coach if he'd like to do a belly flop in full gear onto the ice from the top of the Zamboni. I doubt he's stupid enough to do it, but the force he'd feel would not be as much as a major car crash.
Tell the coach that as a parent, you will not allow your DS to travel in the car dressed out for hockey for safety reasons. If he persists, just tell him to get bent. My kids safety is a heck of a lot more important than his "feelings" if he just can't take "No" for an answer.
:twocents: