Observational Analysis of Injury in Youth Ice Hockey: Putting Injury into Context by CHARLES BOYER Bsc. H.K., University of Ottawa, 2008 THESIS Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies for the degree of Master’s of Arts in Human Kinetics School of Human Kinetics University of Ottawa 2011 © Charles Boyer, Ottawa, Canada, 2011 ABSTRACT This study examines injury in competitive bodychecking and non-bodychecking youth ice hockey in male and female leagues in Ontario and Quebec. The study involved quantifying the amount of injuries, but also documenting the situational factors in which hockey injuries occur to better understand how and why injuries are occurring. The research utilized a mixed method approach consisting of game observation, postgame injury assessments and semi-structured interviewing with parents. In total 56 games were attended and a total of 16 parents from the bodychecking team were interviewed. All games were video recorded through a dual camera video system. Game footage was then analyzed frame- by-frame to pinpoint injury locations, points of impact and situational factors surrounding the injury. Results from the research revealed; 1) a disproportionately higher rate of injury in bodychecking hockey compared to non-bodychecking male and female hockey; 2) the combination of player and board contact in bodychecking hockey is the primary mechanism of injury; 3) most injuries occur on legal play; and 4) parental perceptions of bodychecking and injury show that players do not naturally accept bodychecking as part of the game. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................................... vii CHAPTER I: Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER II: Literature Review ........................................................................................................... 5 Defining Injury .................................................................................................................................. 5 Quantifying Injury in Hockey ............................................................................................................ 7 Frequency of injury ........................................................................................................................ 7 Types of injury................................................................................................................................ 8 Mechanisms of injury ..................................................................................................................... 9 Qualitative Factors Contributing to Injury ....................................................................................... 11 Fatigue ......................................................................................................................................... 12 Injury ice area locations .............................................................................................................. 13 Physicality, aggression and violence ........................................................................................... 13 Creating an injurious environment .............................................................................................. 14 CHAPTER III: Methodology ............................................................................................................... 20 Sample Group .................................................................................................................................. 20 Three Dimensional Multi-Method Approach .................................................................................. 21 First dimension: Observations and observation grids ................................................................. 21 Second dimension: Post-game injury reporting (PGIA) .............................................................. 25 Third dimension: Semi-structured interviews .............................................................................. 26 CHAPTER IV: Putting Youth at Risk ................................................................................................. 29 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 29 iii Review of Current Injury Reporting Practices ................................................................................. 31 Retrospective secondary reporting .............................................................................................. 32 Prospective voluntary reporting .................................................................................................. 35 Methods ........................................................................................................................................... 37 Game observations ....................................................................................................................... 39 Observation grids......................................................................................................................... 40 Post-game injury assessment (PGIA) .......................................................................................... 41 Data analysis ............................................................................................................................... 42 Results .............................................................................................................................................. 43 Comparing bodychecking vs. non-bodychecking ......................................................................... 43 Mechanisms of injury for boys’ bodychecking hockey ................................................................. 43 Injury severity for boys’ bodychecking hockey ............................................................................ 44 Types of injury in boys’ bodychecking hockey ............................................................................. 44 Time, ice locations of injury and legality of play in association with injury ............................... 45 Discussion ........................................................................................................................................ 45 Bodychecking vs. non–bodychecking ........................................................................................... 46 Mechanisms of injury ................................................................................................................... 47 Characteristics and musculoskeletal locations of injury ............................................................. 51 Time of game when injuries occur ............................................................................................... 52 Ice locations of injury .................................................................................................................. 53 Legal/illegal bodychecks .............................................................................................................. 55 Limitations ....................................................................................................................................... 56 Conclusion and Future Directions.................................................................................................... 57 References ........................................................................................................................................ 61 iv CHAPTER V: Rethinking Aggression, Violence and Injury ............................................................... 67 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 67 Methods ........................................................................................................................................... 70 Context ............................................................................................................................................. 74 The Perils of Bodychecking Hockey ............................................................................................... 76 Corporeal management and self-preservation ............................................................................ 76 Coping with a risk filled environment .......................................................................................... 79 The normalization of injury ......................................................................................................... 83 Conflict and vagueness concerning the interpretation of the current rule system ....................... 85 The necessity for a graduated introduction to bodychecking hockey .......................................... 88 Limitations ....................................................................................................................................... 93 Conclusion and Future Research...................................................................................................... 93 References .......................................................................................................................................