Posted on October 18, 2010 · Posted in Brain Injury

The topic of safety and the sport of ice hockey is on the agenda Tuesday at a medical conference at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., according to The New York Times.

 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/18/sports/hockey/18hockey.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper

The confab will include representatives spanning the National Hockey League to youth leagues, and they will talk about recommendations meant to lessen the chance of concussions in the oft-violent sport, particularly with the young.

The story, headlined “With Focus on Youth Safety, A Sport Considers Changes,” cites statistics that say that the rate of serious injury for players from 11 to 14 is very high. 

As a result, youth hockey is contemplating delaying the date when body checking is permissible to 13 from 11, according to The Times.

The two-day Mayo conference will have attendees from USA Hockey, Hockey Canada, the NHL and the International Ice Hockey Federation.

The Times also named three findings that will be reported at the Mayo conference. They are: Concussions represent 18 percent of all hockey injuries;  women’s hockey has the largest rate of concussions of all NCAA sports; and that the level or concussions for youth players is only slightly less than for NHL players.        

 

About the Author

Attorney Gordon S. Johnson, Jr.
Past Chair Traumatic Brain Injury Litigation Group, American Association of Justice
g@gordonjohnson.com :: 800-992-9447