Describing the Nature of Head Contacts in Adolescent Female Youth Ice Hockey Players

The physical nature of ice hockey often results in head contact with players of all ages and the ramifications of repeated head trauma may lead to deficits in social and cognitive skills development, as well as the potential for long-term concerns related to academic, neurological, physical, and mental health. The purpose of this study was to better understand how head contact occurs while playing ice hockey, how frequently head contacts occur, and what player behaviors frequently result in head contact. Adolescent female ice hockey players participating on either the 14 and under (14U) girls team or the 19 and under (19U) girls team. Ten practices and 9 games were observed, resulting in a total of 443 athlete exposures. A total of 35 head contacts were observed. The most common mechanism of head contact occurred with the head hitting the boards/glass (29%) followed by the players head hitting the ice (20%). A majority of head contact occurred while defending the puck (69%) in zone 5 (in front of the net) (49%), and zone 1 (behind the net and in the corners) (29%). Player position did not seem to influence head contacts as they occurred similarly amongst forwards, defensemen, and goalies. Based on our findings, it is essential to develop strategies to promote safe play and reduce the risk of head contact around the net and in the corners, particularly when defending the puck.