U of C research shows danger of body checks in pee-wee hockey

Bodychecking was banned in pee-wee hockey in 2013 // Courtesy Michael Beck

New research from the University of Calgary Faculty of Kinesiology  has shed light on the benefits of banning bodychecking in youth hockey.

The findings show a 64 per cent reduction risk in concussions and a 50 per cent reduction risk in injury for 11- and 12-year-old hockey players after Hockey Canada banned body checks from all pee-wee hockey leagues in 2013. 

Faculty of Kinesiology associate dean of research Carolyn Emery led the study, which also included members of the Cumming School of Medicine, the Hotchkiss Brain Institute and other U of C programs.

The U of C’s study builds on over a decade of research into injury and concussion prevention in ice hockey and other youth sports.

The study was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Members of the research team will present the study’s findings this week to the International Olympic Committee World Conference on Prevention of Injury and Illness in Sport in Monaco.