New study recommends youth hockey leagues ban bodychecking until age 18. rwesthead HAS MORE:
A prominent Canadian neurosurgeon who led a new study exploring the prevalence of post-concussion symptoms in minor hockey players who suffered brain injuries is calling for the introduction of bodychecking in the sport to be delayed until players are 18 years old.
Tator, a neurosurgeon in Toronto with the Canadian Concussion Centre who was invested in 2000 as a member of the Order of Canada for his work researching brain injuries, said he understand leagues, teams, parents, and possibly players will probably resist his recommendation. But he pointed out that NHL players pushed back when helmets and then later visors were made mandatory in the professional game.
Bodychecking was responsible for 34 players’ concussions, the study said. Other events that caused concussions included fighting, being hit with sticks and pucks, falls, and elbows to the head. Tator said the study is the first to examine the long-term consequences of brain trauma in young hockey players.
In 2013, Hockey Canada raised the minimum age for bodychecking from 11 to 13. Four years later, in 2015, The Globe and Mail quoted a University of Calgary study that reported the policy change contributed to a 50 per cent drop in injuries among 11- and 12-year-old players in Alberta.