Edmonton Journal - Fear of injury hurting hockey enrolment

Calgary and Edmonton are hosting the prestigious World Junior Hockey Championships. All eyes are on Canada as it skates to reclaim bragging rights as the world's best junior hockey power. Yet the success Canada has enjoyed for years in minor hockey has long masked problems that threaten hockey's future in this country.

A five-year study of 3,000 boys aged four to 18 in a hockey program in Burlington, Ont., found that 66 per cent of injuries were from accidents such as colliding with teammates, sliding into the boards or posts or getting hit with the puck. The researchers attributed the remaining 34 per cent to players checking each other.

A joint study by the University of Calgary, McGill University and the University of Laval tracked injuries to 2,200 peewee players through the 2007-08 season. It revealed that 11-and 12-year-old hockey players in leagues that allow body checking are 2.5 times more likely to get hurt and 3.5 times more likely to suffer a concussion.