Hockey Is a Safe Sport for Your Kids

Hockey was my first true passion. And of course, like many kids just like me, my dream growing up was to play for my hometown team, the Montreal Canadiens. Like many Canadians on a frigid Saturday night, I would tune into Hockey Night in Canada — I still have the original “The Hockey Theme” song stuck in my head to this day. I remember that after dinner, I would pull on my Red-White-and-Blue Habs sweater, my Dad would light a fire next to the television and we would spend the rest of the evening cheering on our favorite National Hockey League (NHL) team, hoping to one day celebrate a Stanley Cup Win.

As a disclaimer, I love the NHL. And I want to make it clear — professional hockey and youth hockey are two very different sports, and they should be treated as such. I bring this up because there has been a lot of debate recently about fighting in hockey. This was spurned by the recent decision in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) to ban fighting in hockey beginning next season. This has caused quite a stir in the hockey world.

Now I don’t want to dive into that debate, because it is a decision which only affects a few hundred young men (aged 16–19) — many of which have already been drafted by an NHL team. But decisions like these are made in the name of player safety, implying that hockey is no more considered a safe sport for your children. And that is why I want to write about why I think hockey is still safe, at least for the more than a million kids and amateurs playing in Canada and USA.

My Personal Experience

As you have probably figured out by now, I played hockey for many years in my youth. While playing in these minor hockey leagues, I never suffered any serious injuries on the ice. In these leagues, fighting was banned and a I had a few mixed seasons with hitting. Although even with hitting banned, this did not necessary prevent the occasional dirty hit or prevent a skirmish between two hot-headed teenage boys. However, I don’t think it is too difficult to say that injuries, including concussions, were reduced due to these strict rules, especially at a young age.

I am fortunate enough to not have had any known concussions. And this is coming from someone who competed in many ‘contact’ sports over the years, including lacrosse, karate and of course, hockey. Unfortunately, however, I have had too many teammates suffer from the pain-staking effects of concussions, even years later. And each of these major injuries was due to an unfortunate hit.

In fact, during my last season of playing contact hockey, I became nearly too afraid to play again after an opposing player suffered a severe head/neck injury — I can still hear his shriek echoing throughout the arena just split second before crashing into the boards — before being taken to a hospital.

Is Hockey Safe?

As we humans keep getting bigger and faster, our potential for injuries become worse and worse. And at the professional level, with multi-million-dollar contracts on the line — we are more likely to be willing to take that risk. But with children, we should not. Therefore, I have always been an adamant supporter of not having contact hockey with kids, because their brains are still developing.

And this change has actually occurred. For instance, Hockey Canada recently banned contact for all players under 13 years old, reducing concussions by nearly two-thirds. Moreover, many leagues across Canada and USA have also reduced the number of contact leagues in recent years. Therefore, as much as hockey may to some seem to be getting more dangerous on the surface, there is also evidence that recent rule changes have made hockey much safer.

Keep in mind, hockey players and goalies alike used to not wear helmets. In fact, prior to legendary goalie Jacques Plante in 1959, no goalie had worn any face protection as they through their bodies in front of pucks. And it was only in 1979 when helmets finally became mandatory at the professional level for all players. Also, other equipment such as neck guards and face visors have been introduced to further reduce the risk of major injuries as well.

Why Should Your Kids Play Hockey?

Because it is so much fun. There is not much of a better feeling in life than gliding down the ice, feeling the cool air against your face and hearing that ripping sound of your skates piercing through the ice. Because kids will build teamwork, learn how to put in a good effort and make friends for life. And because youth hockey has become so much safer over the past few years. At the end of the day, every sport carries some level of risk. But it is important for children to have a healthy and active lifestyle.