Body Checking in Youth Hockey: Literature Review

Body Checking should continue to be banned in youth hockey until the U14 level because it raises too many severe risks to all ages, sexes, and levels. Some more traditional thoughts are that it should be lowered to where it was prior to 2011 at the U12 level. Some even think that it should be implemented younger than that at the U10 level. According to Trisha Korioth, an American Academy of Pediatrics author, “In 2012, the Canadian Paediatric Society (CPS) released a position statement that supports the elimination of body checking from all levels of organized recreational/non-elite competitive male ice hockey and checking only in competitive leagues for boys ages 13-14 years and older, preferably age 15.” Body checking is a common cause of injuries in not only youth hockey, but in all ages of competitive hockey. In 2017, an investigation was put into place to determine the impact of body checking on the distribution of injuries reported by youth hockey players. Injury data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS), a United States Consumer Product Safety Commission database, was analyzed for Pee Wee (U12) and Bantam (U14) players between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2010 and again between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2015. Data on the location of injury, diagnosis, and mechanism of injury was collected by the author of “The Impact of Body Checking on Youth Ice Hockey Injuries.” The location of injury was categorized into 4 groups: head and neck, upper extremity, lower extremity, and core. Diagnoses often include concussions, fractures, lacerations, strains or sprains, internal organ injuries, and others. The mechanism of injury was broken down into 2 categories: “checking and other” (Trofa). The investigation concluded that there was a reduction in the total number of mechanism and injuries when body checking was eliminated from pee wee (U12) levels. However, researchers found that the number of concussions reported was unexpectedly increasing.

Nathan Seppa, author of article “A check on youth hockey injuries” said, “Children playing ice hockey in leagues that permit body checking have more concussions and other injuries than do youngsters in leagues that prohibit checking.” An estimated 1.6-3.8 million sports and recreation related concussions occur in the United States each year. During 2001-2005, children and youth ages 5-18 years accounted for 2.4 million sports related emergency department (ED) visits annually, of which 6% (135,000) involved a concussion. Concussions occur at all skill and age levels in ice hockey and have been reported to account for 2–14% of all hockey injuries and 15–30% of all hockey head injuries (Izraelski). Concussions are the most consistent risks for severe injury. Allowing body checking in hockey has the potential to raise the danger of injury. In 2010 and 2011, two studies provided evidence that 11 and 12 year old players in body checking leagues are at a 3 fold greater risk of injury and a 4 fold greater risk of concussion compared to those in non-body checking leagues (Mckay). Not only can concussions be bad during the time you have one, but can lead to additional head injuries later in life. The following additional head injuries include: troubles with concentration, memory problems, depression and other psychological problems, irritability, sensitivity to light, and even personality changes. People who are not as developed and fully developed within their body and also their brain are at a higher risk for concussions and injuries.

Puberty is the process of physical changes by which a child’s body matures into an adult body capable of sexual reproduction, initiated by hormones. “Most boys begin puberty between the ages of 9 and 14, for girls it begins between 10 and 14,” according to medical author, Melissa Stoppler. However, puberty is not guaranteed at a specific age. Puberty is simply programmed to start later and happen more gradually due to a person’s genes. Sometimes one’s anterior pituitary gland is genetically programmed to release hormones. These hormones catalyze the production of testosterone and the development of muscle mass, bone growth, lower voice, mature facial features, and hair follicles, which are basically most of the physical attributes that distinguish men from boys. Puberty will begin when the male or female’s body is ready to embark, yet every individual’s body grows at its own pace. Dr. Hahnke, a pediatric endocrinologist at Banner Children Specialists in the Phoenix area, said “sports are a common reason boys come to see him.” Hahnke continues, “They feel like they can’t keep up, or everyone’s doing conditioning training but they’re not putting on muscle the way their friends are because they don’t have the testosterone levels that their friends do. It’s comparing apples to oranges.” People believe that being considered scrappy and being a hard worker is great; however, it does not increase playing time. This praise can then become very frustrating for people. Puberty doesn’t just affect the physical appearance of one’s body, but it affects the brain which affects a child’s behavior. The younger developing brain is at an even higher risk of injury. Along with anything in life there is always a future risk or consequence after the event has happened. “Repeated concussions may lead to permanent learning disabilities and other neurological and psychiatric problems. Pre-adolescent youth with a traumatic brain injury may never fully develop the social and cognitive skills characteristic of adults and may be more violent than those without such an injury” (Cusimano). When a child is going through puberty he/she can experience a lot of different emotions, one being mood swings also known as “raging hormones.” A teenager’s emotions can fluctuate between anger, excitement, depression, and anxiety. These mood swings can be seen in hockey players through their aggressive body checking. Aggressiveness is reinforced by a players social environment and is advocating for one’s loyalty to teammates especially injured teammates. Body checking is an act of revenge in a competitive and aggressive way. By allowing a teeanger who is not fully developed to body check, allows them to be aggressive in such a negative way which could lead to the possibility of future injuries. Michael Cusimano, author of “Aggression, Violence and Injury in Minor League Ice Hockey” states, “Aggression interventions should be further investigated as a means to reduce head impact severity. All levels, ages, and sexes needs to have a full knowledge and understanding of safe play and should consider aggression interventions to lower the amount of injury severity and injuries in all.” The findings can be used to help design interventions aimed at reducing aggression and related injuries sustained during ice hockey and sports with similar cultures and rules.

Like any other sport, what one referee with more experience may call, another referee with less or different experience may not make the same call. This lack of consistency among referees creates a divide within the sport of hockey. The enforcement standards on body checking are unclear, making it nearly impossible for officials to be consistent with their calling. One referee may call a hit a legal bodycheck, while another referee may call that hit an illegal bodycheck. These differing calls creates confusion among players, coaches, fans, and even referees. Another thing that hockey players and referees are beginning to see is that it is becoming difficult to call hits to the head whether it be, elbowing, roughing, charging, or hitting from behind. Some players are not good enough skaters and don’t have enough control over their bodies to be able to ensure a safe body check. It is then left up to the referee’s discretion to call it as they see, which is objective depending on which official is reffing the game and the experience they have obtained through their time officiating the game. According to USA Hockey, “at some point in the future the USAH will pull the plug on the endeavor and remove checking from the game. It is merely only a prelude for things to come.” This is becoming a public health crisis. The time to make change is now, before it is too late.

Furthermore girls hockey has never allowed full checking contact within it’s game and could be used as an argument as well. As the boys game is becoming less tolerable of “huge” hits, it is starting to emulate the game of girls hockey. The biggest distinction between the girls and boys game is the obvious lack of hitting, but the necessity of using proper angling techniques to help close of time and space from your opponent. By no means does this mean the girls game is any less physical, but the players have to take a more concentrated effort to separate the opposing player from the puck.

In contrast, others would argue that body checking should be allowed in youth hockey as it is “part of the game”. One argument to allow body checking at the younger ages is that the size difference between players and their skill levels. Imagine two 12 year old players where one has played for 4 years and the other has played for 2 years, both playing in the same league. Obviously, the player with more experience will be much more comfortable and prepared for the physical aspects of the game. What if there were two 7 year old kids playing in the same 8U league. One player has 4 years of experience and one player has 2 years of experience. The size of the players will not be nearly as different as the potential at the older ages. Also the limited amount of body control and skills a younger player can learn at that age will give the less experienced player the ability to keep up.

This USA Hockey movement to reduce the number of head injuries by removing checking does align with how the game has been changing over the last decade. The rules have a huge factor in this game dynamic, but it is undeniable that players are becoming increasingly quicker and more skilled than the game has ever seen. Today, people are seeing plays develop and executed from individual skills that have not been done before. With constant game adaptations, skills never done before makes it much more difficult to lay an appropriate big hit on an opposing player. USA Hockey continues to mandate rulings based on research to help protect our youth. Step back and take a look at the global picture, the United States makes up only one of the countries playing hockey worldwide. With only 3 years of full checking contact experience, NHL draft candidates are left unprepared for the competitiveness of the league. These American players are missing vital skills that other international players have because other countries do not have to abide by these same safety rules. Safety is the biggest thing people need to observe when signing up for a sport. Not everything in this world is reversible and that is something everybody needs to know. Setting restrictions on all ages, levels, and sexes is the most efficient way to prevent and lower injury severity.