It's always a somewhat frightening scene to drive up to the arena, only to discover ambulances waiting outside of the doors. It's a sharp reminder that for all the joys of hockey, danger is always a possibility. Few other sports can boast such a combination of speed, physicality and high flying emotions. Sometimes, disaster can be the result.
Ideally the ambulance is only a precaution, but rarely, when something serious happens, their quick response is always appreciated.
Luckily, in this day and age there are many rules and instructions provided to make these paramedics at the doors a rare occurrence. I've seen my father's hockey equipment from thirty years ago, and things have come a long way since then. From top to bottom, helmets to skates, equipment must meet exacting safety standards. Dr. Thomas Joseph Pashby was instrumental in pushing for improvements to the game that would lead to fewer injuries at both the professional and recreational level.
Mandatory visors have been around at the recreational level for a number of years, and even 10 years ago or so, while I was still learning the game, new measures were introduced, such as enforcing the use of certified mouth and neck guards. Mouthguards in particular, although sometimes irritating, (I hated wearing mine when they were first introduced) are important. For a small piece of plactisized rubber, they can be quite effective at preventing the classic hockey player grin. (see Danny Heatley - shown right - or Bobby Clarke)
High sticks, pucks which can reach speeds of 80mph at the peewee (ages 11-12) level and hit the teeth with the force of 1250 lbs, and sharp skates can all present dangers; which is why hockey players wear the layers of armor that they do.
Respect is a large part of the game, both for oneself and one's opponents, and practices such as attempts to injure, cross checking, kicking and high sticking are penalized harshly.
Potentially the worst of these can be a check from behind. Sometimes the victim is barely aware that he is about to be hit, and the impact of a soft body, no matter how well protected, and the rigid boards can leave a defenseless player seriously injured.
There is nothing scarier for a coach, parent or player than watching a prone player on the ice, after being sent headfirst into the boards. Many of these are the result of a check from behind, an illegal hit which carries stiff penalties. In any league which belongs to the OMHA, a hit from behind carries with it an automatic Game Misconduct penalty. The player is ejected, whether the hit was intentionally from behind or not.
Harsh penalties and education both serve as deterrents for hits from behind. It can be especially dangerous when it happens near the boards, as often players are unable to put up their arms to cushion the impact, and the force of impacting the boards when absorbed by the head or the neck can be quite debilitating. The biggest scare is the possibility of spinal cord injuries,which have left players no longer able to play, and in a few frightening cases, even unable to walk. These injuries happen very rarely, but are the reason why programs such as STOP (the little stop sign shaped patch you might see on the back of minor players jerseys - a constant reminder to not hit from behind) exist.These programs all work together to decrease the chance that as a trainer, I will have to watch one of my players on a stretcher, being carried off to an ambulance. Hockey is great game, and played properly with all the proper equipment, trainers are only occasionally called upon to address serious injuries. The point of the game is fun, which is something that we remind the kids constantly, but sometimes gets forgotten in the heat of the game. For these kids, that should be the main reason they play.
Its why I do...
Some links to check out -
After the Whistle
How Risky is Canada's Favorite Game
A Player's / Coach Guide to Decrease the Risk of Spinal Cord Injuries
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