Comparison of Head Impact Frequency and Magnitude for Midget and Junior Ice Hockey Players to Inform Safety and Policy

Abstract

Hockey Canada reports Junior hockey players have a greater incidence of mild traumatic brain injury when compared to Midget hockey players. Very little research has been undertaken to understand the differences in impact events, frequency, and magnitude that contribute to these differences in brain injury incidence. Videos of 20 Midget and Junior ice hockey games were analyzed to determine the frequency and magnitude of head impact events. Physical reconstructions of the head impact events were conducted using a Hybrid III headform to obtain the linear and rotational acceleration characteristics. Linear and rotational acceleration data were used for finite element modeling to calculate the peak maximum principal strain within the cerebrum. The results demonstrated that while Midget and Junior ice hockey players had similar head impact frequencies during play (p = 0.0912), Junior players experienced a greater number of total impacts to the head after the whistle (p = 0.0079). When the impacts during play were broken down by event type, punches to the head (p = 0.0192) and shoulders to the head (p = 0.0290) were found to be more frequent at the Junior level. The collected data identified similar magnitudes of head impact but differences in the frequency between Midget and Junior hockey. Enforcing existing rules and forming additional policy and regulations surrounding protective measures for athletes to manage shoulder and punch impacts to the head, both during play and after the whistle, may decrease the player's risk of brain trauma in the sport.