Hockey Canada is removing the red line and the off-side pass, in the process.

Hockey Canada's Board of Directors opted Monday at Hockey Canada's AGM to eliminate the red line at all levels of amateur hockey, except major junior, effective 2004-05.

"A lot of our leagues are not using the red-line already," Hockey Canada president Bob Nicholson told reporters covering the federation's annual general meeting at Thunder Bay, Ont.

"I'm really happy to see that it's happening because it's just making it really consistent for everyone across this country."

"This will make it more unified across Canada as a significant number of our branches were playing without it in different levels of play," Hockey Canada chairman Al Matthews of Williams Lake, B.C., said of the decision, which takes effect next season."Those who have had experience with it (removed) have found it opens up the game and makes it a little faster," Matthews said.

Two other contentious issues discussed, but were tabled until the 2005 AGM were: 1) allowing major-junior teams to ice just one 16-year-old player and 2) restricting the number of non-Canadians on major-junior rosters.

Nicholson revealed the former was tabled until next year's meeting, whereas a committee will be struck to examine the latter.