The issue of brain injuries in minor hockey continues to raise concerns in Canada as evidence as to how widespread the problem is mounts.
Mary Ormsby of the Toronto Star writes about an innovative University of Toronto project called BrainFit that uses special sensors inside helmets of minor hockey players as young as 10 to measure hits to the head. It's one of several research projects that are either ongoing or have concluded - projects that will inevitably lead to significant changes in minor hockey and perhaps other youth sports.
It seems clear now that, driven by research and the legitimate concerns of parents, deliberate body checking will disappear from most levels of minor hockey in Canada soon. Further, I'm betting that new rules governing contact with heads will be introduced, much in the same vein as rules to expel players from the game for hitting from behind were instituted about five years ago.
In concert with all of this will be, I predict, new helmet and mouthguard regulations forcing all players to wear mouthguards and allowing referees to expel players for wearing shoddy helmets, be they ill-fitting or too old to be considered safe.
All of which will add to the cost of playing this recreational sport - and much of which could be avoided if kids were just taught to play with sportsmanship.
Mary Ormsby of the Toronto Star writes about an innovative University of Toronto project called BrainFit that uses special sensors inside helmets of minor hockey players as young as 10 to measure hits to the head. It's one of several research projects that are either ongoing or have concluded - projects that will inevitably lead to significant changes in minor hockey and perhaps other youth sports.
It seems clear now that, driven by research and the legitimate concerns of parents, deliberate body checking will disappear from most levels of minor hockey in Canada soon. Further, I'm betting that new rules governing contact with heads will be introduced, much in the same vein as rules to expel players from the game for hitting from behind were instituted about five years ago.
In concert with all of this will be, I predict, new helmet and mouthguard regulations forcing all players to wear mouthguards and allowing referees to expel players for wearing shoddy helmets, be they ill-fitting or too old to be considered safe.
All of which will add to the cost of playing this recreational sport - and much of which could be avoided if kids were just taught to play with sportsmanship.
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