What's the Answer To Crippling Hockey Injuries?

Jack Jablonski.

Jenna Privette.

Owatonna brawl.

Youth hockey, injuries, and rules that govern the sport have received more publicity over the past week than at any other time in recent memory. Calls for changes in the sport have come from the informed, and uninformed alike.

But are rule changes really necessary? Are sweeping revisions really the only way to save our children?

Many feel that the answer is a complicated solution, consisting of multiple facets of rule changes, equipment changes, education and stiffer penalties. Other feel that nothing needs to be changed and the events are not likely to repeat themselves anytime soon. Still others feel that all body contact should be removed from the sport. It is an emotional issue, and those emotions can sometimes make solutions difficult to recognize.

I believe the answer to be much simpler than all of that. The simple solution is that we need three groups of people to do the right thing – to do what they already should be doing, and the problem of checking from behind and avoidable injuries that can occur from such actions will be virtually eliminated.

Referees – Call the penalties like they are written in the book. Every time.

Coaches – Support the referees, especially when the calls go against you. Those times are called “teaching moments.”

Parents – Allow the referees, and coaches to do their part without your interference.

The problem is solved.

I have two kids in the Pee Wee program in Roseville, and have been on the local board as well as the district board for several years and have seen a fair amount of hockey.

I have seen my share of good and bad refs, parents and coaches. When those three groups work together, life is fantastic! The official makes the call to protect the kids from themselves (they are just kids you know); the coaches teach and encourage, and the parents cheer, win or lose. Everyone has fun, and avoidable injuries are minimized, if not eliminated.

The problem is that the scenario listed above with these three small groups working together happens so infrequently that the odds of seeing it on any given night have to be calculated by the folks at Powerball.

Other solutions have failed to have the desired effect. Bright orange “STOP” signs are sewn on the back of jerseys. Checking was removed from Squirt level (9- and  10-year-olds) hockey years ago, and from the Pee Wee level (11- and 12 year-olds) olds) this season with the intent to cut down on injuries, specifically concussions. Even with those changes, concussions continue to occur, along with other injuries at seemingly the same rate.

I believe that the tragedies of Jablonski and Privette will continue to occur no matter what rule changes are made. 

But, when people decide they are serious about affecting positive change, and are willing to work together, then we will have witnessed the last of these preventable injuries.