Male Youth Ice Hockey Players Research Articles

Preseason Reports of Neck Pain, Dizziness, and Headache as Risk Factors for Concussion in Male Youth Ice Hockey Players

The objective of this study was to determine the risk of concussion in youth male hockey players with preseason reports of neck pain, headaches, and/or dizziness. Secondary data analysis of pooled data from 2 prospective cohort studies. Ice hockey rinks in Alberta and Quebec, Canada. A total of 3832 male ice hockey players aged 11 to 14 years (280 teams) participated. Participants recorded baseline preseason symptoms of dizziness, neck pain, and headaches on the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool. Incidence rate ratios (IRR) were estimated using Poisson regression, adjusted for cluster by team, hours of exposure, and other covariates. Concussions that occurred during the season were recorded using a validated prospective injury surveillance system. Preseason reports of neck pain and headache were risk factors for concussion (IRR = 1.67; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.15-2.41 and IRR = 1.47; 95% CI, 1.01-2.13). Dizziness was a risk factor for concussion in the Pee Wee nonbody checking cohort (IRR = 3.11; 95% CI, 1.33-7.26). A combination of any 2 symptoms was a risk factor in the Pee Wee nonbody checking cohort (IRR = 3.65; 95% CI, 1.20-11.05) and the Bantam cohort (IRR = 2.40; 95% CI, 1.15-4.97). Male youth athletes reporting headache and neck pain at baseline were at an increased risk of concussion during the season. The risk associated with dizziness and any 2 of dizziness, neck pain, or headaches depended on age group and body checking. Baseline testing may be of benefit to identify individuals with symptoms of dizziness, neck pain, and headaches who may be at a higher risk of concussion during the season.

Physiological and physical profiles and on-ice performance approach to predict talent in male youth ice hockey players during draft to hockey team

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationships between physiological and physical profiles relative to age, together with on-ice performance in order to assess their impact on the positive result of a recruitment process into an ice hockey team. OBJECTIVE: A total of 60 boys took part in the selection camps. After these camps, 22 successful players were selected to be in the ice-hockey team and create GH2 group. GH1 was a group of hockey players who had dropped out during the selection camp (38 participants). The control group consisted of 50 participants from secondary schools. METHODS: Data were analysed using the Student t test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tuckey’s post-hoc test. Logistic regression was used to establish the relationship between success at selection camps and predictor variables. RESULTS: Of the 22 candidates selected to the team, 17 participants had their birth dates fall within the first six months of the selection year and positively skewed ( p> 0.05). Of the 22 males selected to the team, the body height of 15 subjects was above 50th percentile and of 2 participants, above 90th percentile. Body mass of 11 participants was above 50th percentile, and of 11 subjects, above 90th percentile. Ice hockey players selected to the team were taller ( p< 0.05) than players in GH1 and controls. Controls showed higher % body fat than groups GH1 and GH2. Controls had a lower level of relative VO2max (ml·kg −1 ·min-1) ( p< 0.05) than ice hockey players in both groups. Furthermore, controls showed a lower level of relative peak power (W·kg −1 ) than hockey players in GH1. Mean relative peak power (W·kg −1 ) in GH1 was lower ( p< 0.05) than that of males in GH2 who were selected for the team. The model indicates that height and relative peak power may be predictors of a successful selection for the team. CONCLUSIONS: The present study suggests that having a birthday early in the selection year, concomitant size advantages and a high level of anaerobic power increases ice hockey players’ chance of being selected for an elite ice hockey team. Therefore, in the future, one should emphasize the talented yet less physically developed persons so as not to overlook them at further stages of adolescence.

Concussion and concurrent cognitive and sport-specific task performance in youth ice hockey players: a pilot study

ObjectiveTo determine the influence of concussion on cognitive performance while completing concurrent sport-specific tasks to further inform return to play protocols for youth athletes.DesignThis descriptive case pilot study compared the...

Concussion and strength performance in youth ice hockey players

ObjectiveTo explore the influence of concussion on strength performance within youth ice hockey players.DesignAthletes were assessed prospectively before and after a sport-related concussion and longitudinally across a 3-year period.SettingUniversity research...

Concussion and Concurrent Cognitive and Sport-specific Task Performance in Youth Ice Hockey Players: A Single-case Pilot Study

Background: Concussion is common in the sport of ice hockey and can cause deficits in cognitive function. In most situations, ice hockey participation requires the performance of more than one skill at a time. It has been reported that following concussion in athletes, performance deficits arise when locomotor and cognitive tasks are performed concurrently that may have otherwise gone unnoticed if assessed in isolation of one another. The purpose of this pilot study was to explore the effect of concussion on cognition during concurrent ice hockey specific tasks in youth ice hockey players. Methods: This single case pilot study compared the performance of 4 male youth ice hockey players who had experienced a concussion in the previous ice hockey season (mean age=11.7 ± 0.3 years; mean time since injury=92.5 ± 49.1 days) to a group of 10 non-injured controls (mean age=11.8 ± 0.8 years). Participants completed a randomized combination of three ice hockey specific tasks while concurrently completing a visual interference task (modified Stroop task). Results: Participants who experienced a concussion within the previous ice hockey season and were ≤ 58 days post-injury demonstrated significantly poorer cognitive performance (increased cognitive dual task cost) across all conditions when completing the visual interference task concurrently with ice hockey specific skills (p ≤ 0.05). Conclusion: This study acts as an initial step towards the development of a sport-specific assessment of functional performance following concussion in youth ice hockey players to help inform safer return to play.

Are pre-season reports of neck pain, dizziness and/or headaches risk factors for concussion in male youth ice hockey players?

BackgroundConcussion is a commonly encountered injury associated with potential long-term sequelae. No previous studies have evaluated dizziness, neck pain and headache as potential risk factors for concussion.ObjectiveThe objective of this...

Do physical maturity and birth date predict talent in male youth ice hockey players?

The aim of this study was to examine the relationships among biological maturity, physical size, relative age (i.e. birth date), and selection into a male Canadian provincial age-banded ice hockey team. In 2003, 619 male ice hockey players aged 14 – 15 years attended Saskatchewan provincial team selection camps, 281 of whom participated in the present study. Data from 93 age-matched controls were obtained from the Saskatchewan Pediatric Bone Mineral Accrual Study (1991 – 1997). During the initial selection camps, birth dates, heights, sitting heights, and body masses were recorded. Age at peak height velocity, an indicator of biological maturity, was determined in the controls and predicted in the ice hockey players. Data were analysed using one-way analysis of variance, logistic regression, and a Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. The ice hockey players selected for the final team were taller, heavier, and more mature (P < 0.05) than both the unselected players and the age-matched controls. Furthermore, age at peak height velocity predicted (P < 0.05) being selected at the first and second selection camps. The birth dates of those players selected for the team were positively skewed, with the majority of those selected being born in the months January to June. In conclusion, team selectors appear to preferentially select early maturing male ice hockey players who have birth dates early in the selection year.

Establishing construct validity evidence for the Sport Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale

Abstract Objective To obtain internal and external validity evidence supporting the use of the Sport Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale ( Sport - MPS : Dunn, J. G. H., Causgrove Dunn, J., & Syrotuik, D. G. (2002). Relationship between multidimensional perfectionism and goal orientations in sport. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology , 24 , 376–395) as a measure of perfectionist tendencies in sport. Internal validity evidence was gathered by examining the factorial composition and factor structure of the Sport-MPS. External validity evidence was gathered by examining the relationship between the subscales of the Sport-MPS and the subscales of an established measure of global perfectionism. Method Independent samples of male Canadian Football players ( n =276, M age=18.29 years), male youth ice hockey players ( n =229, M age=14.15 years), male and female intercollegiate team-sport athletes ( n =221, M age=21.45 years), and female figure skaters ( n =121, M age=14.46 years) completed the Sport-MPS. A sub-sample of football players ( n =138) and all figure skaters also completed the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale ( Hewitt - MPS : Hewitt, P. L., & Flett, G. L. (1991). Perfectionism in the self and social contexts: Conceptualization, assessment, and association with psychopathology. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , 60 , 456–470) which served as a criterion measure of perfectionism. Results Confirmatory factor analyses failed to support the factor structure of the Sport-MPS suggested by Dunn et al. However, follow-up exploratory factor analyses suggest the Sport-MPS is comprised of four latent dimensions that measure personal standards , concern over mistakes , perceived parental pressure , and perceived coach pressure . Each factor was highly interpretable and corresponded to the factors proposed by Dunn et al. Statistically significant bivariate correlations, standardized regression coefficients, and canonical correlations (all p s Conclusions The internal structure of the Sport-MPS was quite robust across heterogeneous samples of competitive athletes. The anticipated relationships between Sport-MPS and Hewitt-MPS subscales support the use of the Sport-MPS as a measure of interpersonal and intrapersonal dimensions of perfectionism in sport. Further construct validation of the Sport-MPS is recommended.

Goal Orientations, Perceptions of Aggression, and Sportspersonship in Elite Male Youth Ice Hockey Players

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between goal orientations, perceptions of athletic aggression, and sportspersonship among elite male youth ice hockey players (M age = 13.08 years). Athletes (N = 171) completed questionnaires to assess their goal orientations, attitudes toward directing aggressive behaviors during competition, and non-aggression-related sportspersonship. In accordance with Vallerand, Deshaies, Cuerrier, Brière, and Pelletier (1996), sportspersonship was conceptualized as a five-dimensional construct. Multiple regression analyses revealed that high ego-oriented athletes were more inclined to approve of aggressive behaviors than those with low ego orientation. Players with higher levels of task orientation (rather than low task orientation) had higher sportspersonship levels on three dimensions. An analysis of goal orientation patterns revealed that regardless of ego orientation, low (compared to high) task orientation was more motivationally detrimental to several sportspersonship dimensions. The practical implications of these results are discussed in the context of Nicholls’s (1989) achievement goal theory.