Reply To: Articles

[hockeygod]

Lower rate of serious injury no justification for more bodychecking: U of C researcher

By Sean Myers June 20, 2011

CALGARY — University of Calgary professor Carolyn Emery has found more evidence she says conclusively argues that removing bodychecking from Pee Wee hockey will reduce concussions and injuries in young players.

She claims her new study, published today in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, shows there is no significant spike in injuries in bantam hockey players in Quebec, the first level hitting is allowed, over Alberta bantam players who’ve been checking for two years in Pee Wee.

The study takes dead aim at the belief among some coaches and parents that waiting to allow checking in older age groups will only delay injuries.

Her study did find a 33 per cent increase in severe injuries (those requiring a player to sit out for over a week) in Quebec bantam players but Emery said that was not significant compared to the risk in Pee Wee.

“I would argue it’s irrelevant … in light of a fourfold greater risk of concussion and a threefold greater risk of that (severe) injury type in Pee Wee,” said Emery. “Across four years of play the evidence is fairly conclusive that removing bodychecking in Pee Wee ice hockey will have a significant public health impact in terms of concussion and injury reduction in youth ice hockey players.”

In her study of Pee Wee players last year, Emery said an estimated 1,000 game-related injuries and 400 game-related concussions could be prevented per year in 11-and 12-year-old Alberta players if body checking was eliminated.

Her bantam study also doesn’t rule out a cause for increased severe injuries in Quebec coming from the “survivor” effect.

In Alberta, some players drop out of hockey after Pee Wee because they don’t like the hitting or due to a history of multiple concussions. Those type of players would presumably carry on into bantam in Quebec she argued, where she said they would be at greater risk.

The bantam study looked at injury rates in 68 Alberta teams and 62 Quebec teams. There were 272 injuries including 51 concussions among the Alberta teams and 244 injuries including 49 concussions in Quebec.

The study supports the conclusions of 14 of 15 studies showing an increased risk of concussion and injury when bodychecking is allowed in Pee Wee said Emery.

“The results are consistent in all of these studies except for one,” said Emery. “So our work supports the evidence that’s out there.

USA Hockey has banned body checking from Pee Wee across the States starting next season. The hockey body is instituting an new progressive checking skill development program.

Emery, a hockey parent, would like to see something similar brought in to Canada.

Grace Lane is a Calgary parent with three boys who all played hockey up until this spring when her youngest decided to drop out rather than face body checking in Pee Wee next fall.

“He’s not interested in being hit,” said Lane of her son Nathan, 10, who played in atom this past season.

Her son Jason, 12, is going into his second year of Pee Wee and her oldest, Alexander, 14, suffered his third concussion in his first year of bantam this past season.

“We were seriously, at that point, considering pulling (Alexander) out of hockey” said Lane, president of the Westwood Hockey Association. “But he loves hockey. He cried, begged, pleaded.”

Lane isn’t sure checking should be removed from Pee Wee completely but perhaps from all by the elite level teams.

“I’m mixed, I have two kids who are playing and they like that aspect of the game,” said Lane who plays on a women’s recreational team.

“My middle son who hasn’t had any concussions, he loves to hit. He’s a clean hitter and believes it’s a really integral part of the game. And people have to remember it’s to knock the person off of the puck not take the person’s head off of the body.”

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."