Player Safety

As we are in the second half of the season & begin the countdown to State, below are a few reminders about player safety and what this means to EVERYONE.

USA Hockey mandates that concussions be reported even if it is only suspected. The Player Safety page of the AHAI Website, https://www.ahai.org/player-resources/safety-and-protection/117155, has a direct link to the form and reporting a concussion does NOT ‘label’ a player as we often
hear parents say. The information is kept confidential. This must also be reported to
the AHAI Player Safety Coordinator along with all other injuries.

➢ A medical professional is the ONLY person that may clear a player to return to play and must sign off on the ‘Return to Play’ form also found on the AHAI website. This form must be submitted to the AHAI Player Safety Coordinator & USAH. The team manager and or Organization should also have a copy on file.
➢ Baseline testing is available at Athletico.
➢ Reporting injuries to the AHAI Player Safety Coordinator is kept confidential.

The types of injuries, age level, etc. are used to help develop training material to better prepare our young athletes for the physical play of this sport. While injuries do occur, how they occur and the severity of them can be prevented. It is extremely disturbing to see the number of penalties that have been called at this point in the season. Many of these injuries have been the result of a dirty, illegal hit. There is no place for dirty play in youth sports and there is no justification.

Zero Tolerance is very much part of the game that way too many adults have forgotten. What happens on the ice is a direct reflection of how coaches act on the bench & how fans cheer in the stands. To see incident reports of abusive language coming from the player benches towards players, officials, each other is utterly disgusting and has no place in youth sports. To hear parents laugh & criticize officials for stopping play because players are not properly wearing mouthguards and or neck laceration protectors (most times do not even have them), both of which are mandatory, is appalling. Coaches swearing at officials stating that they have no right to stop play & issue a warning and possibly a bench penalty – guess what, THEY DO!

If Officials miss a penalty, this doesn’t give the coaches & players the right to take the game into their own hands & become violent, verbally and or physically. Officials, please do your job & show respect to the players on the ice & the game itself. Why are coaches not benching the player that the penalty clearly should have been called on? Coaches you know what your player did was wrong. If coaches verbally abuse players, they turn the players’ sticks & skates into weapons because this is their fight-back mechanism & they take it out on other players on the ice. Coaches – you are supposed to be the leaders on the bench.

If players are playing dirty, this doesn’t give the right for opponents to retaliate. Players – respect yourself & others and don’t retaliate even if every part of you is saying to do so, be the leader of yourself. If parents are yelling obscenities at players and the Officials, they push the adrenaline
factor over the top & players then use it in a very dangerous way. Parents – you are adults
that youth look up to & they follow your lead. Cheer the good & encourage fun and safe
play. All these scenarios become huge opportunities for coaches & players to rise above &
play the game the way it should be played, with teamwork & fun. Moving the puck on the ice is a thing of beauty & when passing & one-timers become the norm, this fast-paced game becomes exciting to watch.

Player Safety is not only about what equipment is worn & how it fits.
Player Safety is about leadership, leading by example, and working as a team to have fun and play the game safely. Hockey is a phenomenal, fast-paced sport to watch when it’s played the way it is meant to be played and not as an out-of-control, dangerous, penalty-ridden spectacle. This begins with the adults – Parents, Coaches, Organizations, Volunteers, Officials.

Respect the game and respect each other.
Players, if the adults don’t respect the game and how it should be played, YOU RESPECT THE GAME, including YOUR TEAMMATES and OPPONENTS.

Thank you & Happy New Year!
May we have a safe Second Half and State Tournament with lots of excitement!
Anita Lichterman
AHAI Player Safety Coordinator