Headstrong On Safety

New USA Hockey Helmet Policy Aimed At Reducing Risks For On-Ice Coaches

By Joel Willits — USA Hockey Magazine

It’s a youth coach’s worst nightmare, and it can happen anytime, anywhere and to anyone.

As the coach looks off in another direction, a young player falls down and slides into the coach, blindsiding him. The coach, without the protection of a helmet, falls hard and strikes his or her exposed head on the cold, hard ice.

This scene very nearly played out for Jim Johnson, a 13-year National Hockey League veteran and a youth hockey coach in Arizona. Johnson, coaching at an instructional camp for youth players, had his legs taken out by a player and was sent hard to the ice.

“I didn’t hit my head on the ice, but I very easily could have,” admitted Johnson, who coaches a 16 & Under team in Phoenix. “My NHL career ended because of post-concussion syndrome, so it would have been very bad had I hit my head.”

Johnson’s close call is not an isolated incident. Since 1998, five coaches have died from hitting their heads on the ice. In a two-year span (Sept. 2002 to Dec. 2004), 83 incident claims were filed by coaches. (It’s hard to say how many more incidents took place that were not reported.) These incidents, and many more, have prompted action by USA Hockey.

During the 2006 Annual Congress, USA Hockey’s board of directors passed new legislation mandating that all coaches and instructors wear helmets during on-ice sessions. The complete legislation reads as follows:

“Every year there are injuries to coaches that could have been prevented by wearing
a helmet.” — Ron DeGregorio, USA Hockey President

All ice hockey coaches and instructors of registered USA Hockey youth/high school, disabled, girls’/women’s 19 & Under and below programs must properly wear an ice hockey helmet during all on-ice sessions, including practices, controlled scrimmages and coach and referee clinics (seminars).

“Every year there are injuries to coaches that could have been prevented by wearing a helmet,” USA Hockey President Ron DeGregorio said of the change in policy. “This legislation represents a positive step forward for the safety of our coaches.”

According to Mark Tabrum, USA Hockey’s director of the Coaching Education Program, the new policy addresses a serious safety issue that has been a hot topic for several years.

“Over the years we’ve had coaches fall on the ice, seriously injure themselves and even die,” said Tabrum, himself a youth hockey coach in Colorado Springs, Colo. “It’s been an accumulation of incidents that has brought this issue to the forefront.”

Al Bloomer, the National Coach-in-Chief of USA Hockey, echoes the same sentiments. In his current position, Bloomer is responsible for chairing the coaching section of USA Hockey as well as supervising the activities of the Coaching Education Program and District coaches-in-chief. He sees the change as a step in the right direction for USA Hockey.

“I just think it’s the responsible thing to do,” Bloomer said of the change. “We are just looking out for our coaches.”

It Can Happen to Anyone

Johnson, who played with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Minnesota North Stars (later the Dallas Stars), Washington Capitals and Phoenix Coyotes, knows that an accident can happen to anybody, regardless of skill level. A coach with NHL experience can get hurt the same as a coach with moderate experience.

“Just about anybody, no matter what level of experience you have, can get hurt instructing kids,” he said. “You can be out there coaching and some kid can plow into you when you aren’t paying attention.”

Some coaches may feel their ability on the ice will allow them to escape injury. But all the skating ability in the world won’t protect a coach from being blindsided by a falling player, or catching his or her skate in a rut.

“The likelihood of a proficient skater being injured is less than a non-proficient skater, but it can happen to both,” Bloomer said. “There really is no good reason not to wear a helmet.”

Taking the Lead

Some associations had already instituted the helmet policy prior to the passing of the nationally-encompassing legislation.

“Rochester [N.Y.] Youth Hockey implemented helmets this past winter on it’s own. I support it 100 percent, and I’ve already worn it for a few years already,” said Ray Maluta, a youth hockey coach in Rochester, and former Boston Bruin. “We saw the trend, and I applaud them for being a pioneer and taking the leadership role.”

Maluta believes the new policy change does not imply that coaches don’t have the necessary skills to take care of themselves.

“Coaches aren’t going to see everything on the ice. You are just protecting against the accident,” said Maluta, who led the Rochester Americans to the finals of the 2006 USA Hockey Tier I 14 & Under National Championship. “Our association in Rochester had five or six former NHL players coaching, and none of those coaches fought the change. You aren’t questioning the coaches’ skating skills or experience.”

In some cases, it has taken tragedy to first occur before change could take place.
In 1998, two youth coaches in Michigan died after hitting their heads on the ice. The following year, the Michigan District passed legislation requiring all coaches to wear helmets when on the ice.

The state of Minnesota passed a helmet policy this past spring. USA Hockey Minnkota District Associate Coach-in-Chief Hal Tearse says the policy change is something the state had considered for a long time.

“It’s definitely something we had looked at since 1999 when [a local youth hockey coach] died,” Tearse said. “The board of directors in Minnesota decided it was in the best interests of all the coaches [to start the policy].”

Enforcing Positive Change

According to Tabrum, enforcement of the new policy will be the responsibility of the Affiliate, the local hockey associations and every member of USA Hockey.

For example, Michigan has adopted a strict policy in which failing to wear a helmet results in a 30-day suspension for the coach in question. Tom Anastos, the commissioner of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association, a former professional player and a youth hockey coach in Michigan, said most of the problems with the policy came in the first year.

“The resistance came in that first year because none of us were used to it,” Anastos said. “At the end of the day, it’s really not that big of a deal. After a very short time, people just do it, like putting on their skates.”

A common misconception is that many coaches who oppose the new policy change will stop coaching. Bloomer doesn’t think this will be the case.
“The leadership in Michigan will tell you [the policy] had no negative effect whatsoever,” he said. “Coaches quitting over the rule change has not been an issue.”

In Minnesota, some coaches have expressed opposition to the new policy, but Tearse thinks coaches will put aside their own vanity and do what’s right for their players and the game.

“I think the initial reaction is coaches think ‘I don’t want to be told what to do.’ But it isn’t worth fighting over,” he said. “This game is about the kids, not our hairdos.”

Like Michigan, coaches who fail to abide by the rule in Minnesota will face up to a 30-day suspension, Tearse said.

Maluta agrees that coaches will put the good of kids first.

“It is up to these coaches to put their egos aside and not worry about their appearance,” he said. “If they do that, they can teach the players to be both better players and people.”

It will ultimately be the responsibility of those in leadership positions to step up and show a positive example. The first year will be a transition year, Bloomer said, and it will be up to everyone to set the example and be the role models.

Safety First For All

As the new policy has been established, USA Hockey now has all of its on-ice participants protected by helmets: players, referees and coaches.

“There’s no group excluded now,” Tabrum said. “It ties it all in together now. It’s a good thing.”

While there is sure to be some dissent to the policy, it is obvious to many that the helmet policy is a step in the right direction. Even former NHL players, such as Johnson and Maluta, agree that the new helmet policy will help keep coaches safer.

“There is no question in my mind that it will save lives,” Johnson said. “If it saves lives, then it is a good rule.”