TORONTO, February 6, 2006 -- Body checking should not be allowed in ice hockey for boys under the age of 14 because of the risk of serious injury, according to a study by York University and The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids). 
“We looked at children who were seen in hospital emergency departments and we found that at ages 10 to 13, children were almost twice as likely to have a checking-related injury in Ontario, where checking was allowed, than in Quebec, where it was not allowed,” said Macpherson. “They were also more likely to suffer a concussion or a fracture where checking was allowed.”
The study found that, for Atom and Pee Wee players, almost half of the hockey-related injuries in jurisdictions where body checking was allowed were related to checking. The study also found that it isn’t true that children who learn to body check earlier will have fewer injuries in later years. In fact, players in Ontario over the age of 14 – who had learned body checking early – were significantly more likely to have checking injuries than players in Quebec.
“Hockey is supposed to be fun. Kids shouldn’t end up in hospital,” said Howard, an associate professor of Surgery and Health Policy, Management & Evaluation, University of Toronto. “We’re seeing young boys come into emergency wards with fractures and concussions – significant injuries that can take weeks to heal.”
Macpherson and Howard decided to study the injury figures related to body checking after the Ontario Hockey Federation began a five-year pilot project to allow body checking at ages 10 and 11.
Other members of the research team included Linda Rothman, injury control research coordinator from SickKids. The data in the study were provided by the Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention Program. The research was supported by the Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention Program at SickKids and SickKids Foundation.
York University is the leading interdisciplinary research and teaching university in Canada. York offers a modern, academic experience at the undergraduate and graduate level in Toronto, Canada’s most international city. The third largest university in the country, York is host to a dynamic academic community of 50,000 students and 7,000 faculty and staff, as well as 190,000 alumni worldwide. York’s 10 faculties and 22 research centres conduct ambitious, groundbreaking research that is interdisciplinary, cutting across traditional academic boundaries. This distinctive and collaborative approach is preparing students for the future and bringing fresh insights and solutions to real-world challenges. York University is an autonomous, not-for-profit corporation.
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For more information, contact:
Janice Walls, Media Relations, York University, 416-736-2100 x22101/wallsj@yorku.ca
