Minor hockey’s bleak future
Youth participation in Canadian hockey programs is dropping while injuries are more prevalent and costs are sky-high
Although Canadians are mourning the national team’s loss to Russia at the World Junior Hockey Championships, far deeper problems threaten the future of the game in this country.
First and foremost, hockey is plagued with serious injuries. Back in the 1970s the big safety issue was eye injuries. Now, more and more Canadians share concerns about bodychecking and head injuries. The Canada Safety Council has been speaking out on this for more than 20 years. Others are at last breaking their silence on this critical national health and safety issue.
A-five-year study of 3,000 boys aged 4 to 18 in a youth hockey program in Burlington found that 66 per cent of injuries were from accidents such as colliding with teammates, sliding into the boards or posts or being hit with the puck. The researchers from the University of Buffalo attributed the remaining 34 per cent to players checking each other. Only injuries serious enough to keep players off the ice for at least 24 hours were counted.
A joint study by the University of Calgary, Mcgill University and the University of Laval tracked injuries to 2,200 peewee players through the 2007-2008 season. It revealed that-11- and 12-year old hockey players in leagues that allow bodychecking are 2.5 times more likely to get hurt and 3.5 times more likely to suffer a concussion. In Quebec, players do not bodycheck until bantam (ages 13 to 14), and even then only at the elite levels. In Alberta, bodychecking begins at the peewee level (ages 11 and 12).
The findings make a case for raising the bodychecking age and for limiting bodychecking at all levels. One of the researchers, Dr. Carolyn Emery from the University of Calgary, estimated a ban on bodychecking in peewee hockey would eliminate more than 1,000 injuries and 400 concussions annually among the nearly 9,000 peewee players in Alberta.
Traumatic brain injuries from hits to the head can lead to severe and lifelong consequences. Research by Dr. Shree Bhalerao, director of medical psychiatry at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, and Deborah Pink, resident in psychiatry at the University of Toronto, have found they can cause post-concussive symptoms, cognitive disorders, depression, per- sonality changes and substance abuse.
The Canadian Institute for Health Information reported 8,000 hockey-related injuries in Ontario hospital emergency rooms in the 2002-2003 season. Among players18 and under, 62 per cent of the injuries were a result of checking.
The main reason kids play any sport is for fun — and getting hurt is no fun. Fear of injuries is driving young players and their parents away from the game. As the pool of talent dwindles, so does the quality and talent level of those who go on to represent Canada internationally.
Enrolment in Hockey Canada teams is currently 572,000 players, down more than 200,000 from its peak. And the prospects are grim. In the next decade, some say there could be 200,000 fewer kids playing the game. Yet Hockey Canada remains apathetic to the injury problem.
The opposite trend is evident south of the border, where the number of players registered with USA Hockey rose from 195,000 in 1990-91, to 500,579 in 2010.
Nov. 5 was Try Hockey For Free Day in the U.S. More than 430 sites in 47 states conducted free clinics for more than 11,000 American children ages 4 to 9. The event was part of a slate of activities scheduled for Come Play Hockey Month, an initiative involving USA Hockey and the NHL designed to increase youth participation in the game.
The American system and players are better today than they have ever been. Currently more than 58 universities and colleges play Division I hockey. In addition, 74 colleges play NCAA Division II and Division III hockey, and 447 colleges have club hockey teams (men’s and women’s).
Canada has no comparable development programs. Our system is built on and caters exclusively to the Canadian Hockey League and its teams, which are, in effect, commercial entities.
What’s the solution? Can corporate Canada save our game? An RBC survey released on Dec. 6 found that 82 per cent of Canadians in hockey households believe corporations must do more to help the sport’s grassroots programs. It is unclear whether that corporate support includes the thousands of small businesses that support minor hockey in their respective communities to the tune of millions of dollars each year. Nonetheless, corporate support, however defined, is not the magic bullet that will solve all these problems.
A major overhaul of minor hockey is needed in Canada — and soon. A detailed, systemic investigation of the issues confronting minor hockey is crucial.
The average annual registration and participation cost is about $1,500, according to the RBC survey; some families simply can’t afford this. Local availability of facilities and resources can also be an issue.
Until now, the hockey establishment has not been held accountable. Is it up to the challenge? Don’t count on it.
For leadership, look to the medical community, school officials, health and safety researchers and advocates, and other concerned organizations and individuals. It’s not too late to change direction and save our game, with its strong historical and cultural roots. Emile Therien is former president of the Canada Safety Council.