The risk of injuries in hockey is pretty high. Ice hockey is a fast and furious high-contact sport that can result in many types of injuries. These injuries can range from minor scrapes and bruises to more serious concussions, fractures, and dislocations. Getting your teeth chipped or broken is also pretty common. The game of hockey has been making dentists rich for years.
Why do hockey players get hurt?
Here are some pretty good reasons:
- The game is played on ice
- The players wear boots with blades on them
- They fire a hard rubber puck at each other with speeds that can be over 100mph
- There is a crazy person called a goaltender that stands in front of a six-foot net whose job it is to block or catch that puck
- The average size of a pro hockey player is 6ft 1inch and about 200 pounds weight. A large part of the game is to smash into each other whenever possible. (It is always possible.)
- Hockey players can punch the crap out of each other….spend five minutes in the penalty box….come out and do it again….what?
- Each player carries a weapon at all times….sometimes called a hockey stick
- The ice surface is surrounded by rigid boards and you are allowed to smash an opponent into them. (There are some rules for extreme hits that can result in penalties.)
The average hockey player’s speed is around 10-25 mph. However, some players can skate as fast as 30-35 mph. The world record for the fastest skating speed is held by Connor McDavid, who reached a speed of 40.9 mph during a game
The Most Dangerous Position In Hockey
The position of goaltender is the most dangerous. Goalies are a special breed and it takes a lot of courage to get in the way of pucks travelling at 100mph. It also requires a high level of fitness, agility, and amazing hand-eye coordination to stop pucks. Goaltenders are also at significant risk of injury due to collisions with fast skating forwards crashing the net. The most popular goalie injuries are to hamstrings, groin muscles and lower abdominal muscles. They also enjoy many bruises, concussions, broken bones and teeth. I think goalies deserve more money.
Most Common Injuries In Hockey
One of the most common serious injuries in hockey is a concussion. This injury is usually caused by two giant men smashing into each other at around 20mph. Open ice hits can be brutal and the phrase “keep your head up,” should be yelled a lot during a game. Players that don’t pay attention at all times during a game run the risk of concussions and other serious injuries. Sometimes this phrase can be heard just before you get hit and the lights go out. OOPS!! Too late….”keep your head up” kids.
Knee injuries are very common in hockey. Knee on knee hits are a common cause. The game is played at such fast pace with stops and starts that knee injuries can occur at any time. The most common knee injury is to the medial collateral ligament (MCL) and happens when the ligament on the inner part of the knee stretches or tears. MCL injuries usually take about 6 weeks to recover from.
Fractures and Dislocations
Fractures and dislocations occur frequently in ice hockey. Fractures happen when a bone is broken. It can be anything from a minor crack to more serious bone breakage. A dislocation is when two bones are pulled apart causing the joint to become unstable. It is usually an elbow or a shoulder that gets dislocated. Not fun for sure but hockey players are beyond tough.
In the 1964 Stanley Cup finals. Leaf defenseman Bobby Baun took a hard slapshot off his ankle and was carried off the ice on a stretcher. He came back to play in overtime and scored the game winning goal. It was found out later that he had played with a fractured ankle. Fun fact: He only made about $20,000 in salary that year. Way to go Bobby.
Conclusion
Obviously, a lot of injuries are prevented these days by the high quality equipment worn from head to toe. It’s a far cry from your grand daddies hockey days when kids taped magazines to their legs for shin pads. Sure they had crappy equipment back then but at least you could still buy some candy for a penny.
There have been many positive advances in pro hockey that keep players safer these days. No longer does a player have to get out there and finish the game after “getting his bell rung.” That’s what they used to call concussions back in the day. There is a concussion protocol now that needs to be followed if a player is suspected of having one.
Professional hockey players are a tough breed and play injured all the time. Just remember that when you watch a game. Can you imagine stepping out onto the ice with these animals when your body is not 100%? These guys do it all the time. So maybe cut them some slack when you think that they are not performing up to your standards.
Leave a comment, stay safe and for goodness sake “KEEP YOUR HEAD UP”
