By Jessica Sandahl and Riley Schraeder
Trojan Tribune Staff
Photo Courtesy of The Jack Jablonski Fund
When it comes to sports, hockey is one of the least played sports by young kids. Parents don’t let their kids play because of the hitting and the injuries that result from the sport. Collisions may occur at high speeds, which puts players at risk for serious injury. Over recent years, there has been an increase in the number of head and neck injuries. Studies show that a high proportion of youth hockey injuries are attributable to checking, and limiting checking can reduce injuries.
This season, prompted in part by University of Calgary, studies showed alarming rates of concussion and injury in youth hockey when players were allowed to body check. In most sports, when the whistle blows the play stops, but the whistle doesn’t mean much in hockey. There is still physical contact that takes place after the whistle as been blown.
In the past, a few West Central students have played hockey. Dan Renner played for many years. Dan’s father, Tim Renner, had a few thoughts to share about hockey. “I thought it was great because I was a sometime-hockey-player, and I was involved in coaching,” Renner said. He wasn’t especially worried about Dan getting hurt when he was young because they were flexible. “The only danger was really that he might get cut by a skate blade by his own fall or something,” he said.
As players get older and start to move up to the junior varsity and varsity levels, the physical contact of the games increases. Checking is not allowed until age 14, but there are incidental collisions and falls, but not intentional hitting. “When Dan was playing high school JV, there was some concern of injury because he played tentatively, and some of the bigger players on the other teams could take advantage of that and blow him up when he wasn’t ready,” Tim stated. A parent’s greatest fear is when you see your kid or any other player go head first into the boards and not get up.
Hockey doesn’t make the headlines very often until a player gets hurt. On December 30, 2011, Jack Jablonski, a sophomore in high school, was hit in a junior varsity game in Minnesota that changed his life forever. He was accidentally hit by the opposing team and suffered a severe spinal cord injury that has left him paralyzed. Below the C5 vertebra, Jack’s auto-regulatory system no longer works. Jack asked his doctor, “Am I going to walk again? Will I ever get to skate again?” The doctor replied with a ‘no’. Not many of us know what it’s like to have your passion taken away. Jack has therapy every day, and the nurses are able to sit Jack up at 90 degrees, pushing him past pain and nausea.
When a story like this hits national headlines, Facebook, Twitter, from hockey family to hockey family, and across the globe, it gives parents a reason not to let their children play hockey because of the fear of an injury like this. Hockey is a physical sport; there are going to be injuries that come from playing it, but steps are being made to help reduce the number of injured players. As players are becoming bigger and stronger, the risk of injuries is increasing. At full speed, the average high school player skates at 20 miles per hour. USA hockey is promoting a safe and positive playing environment for all participants while continuing to focus on skill development. If any contact to the head of the opponent, checking from behind and late avoidable body checks to an opponent who is no longer in possession and control of the puck happens, officials are instructed to enforce these rules to a high standard and assess the appropriate penalty when these actions occur. In addition, officials are strictly expected to enforce any avoidable contact occurring after the whistle. Cheap hits have overtaken hard-to-teach skills as a shortcut to victory. When players would make any type of head contact with another player, they would get a two-minute penalty. Now with all the new rule changes, when players make head contact, they receive a five-minute penalty and up to a game misconduct.
Another growing concern is the blows to the head causing concussions. Players’ gear has been greatly improved over the years. When players get hit with an elbow or shoulder, concussions often occur. With all the rule changes being made, players and coaches are changing the way they play the game. “Player safety is and always will be the highest priority of Minnesota Hockey,” said Dave Margenau, President of Minnesota Hockey. “However, as important as the rule change is, it is equally vital that the culture of hockey change is to eliminate the intimidation and illegal hits. Officials must call all illegal plays, and their calls must be supported by coaches, parents and players.” Jack Jablonski agrees with the new rule changes. He doesn’t want something that happened to him to happen to another young player. “You don’t know what you have until you lose it,” he stated. “But it’s still life. Game on.”
