Players 14 and under should only play non-contact hockey because of their higher risk of injuries, says a new study that is fuelling the bodychecking debate.

Canadian researchers found more serious injuries in youth leagues that allow physical contact, says the report in the February issue of the journal Pediatrics.

"Policies that permit younger players to bodycheck were accompanied by an increase in bodychecking injuries,particularly fractures and a slightly increased risk of concussion," the researchers say.

What age is appropriate to learn body checking?
What age is appropriate to learn body checking?

"On the basis of our results, we suggest that children should play hockey only in non-contact leagues until at least the age of 14."

The study looked at hospital emergency-room visits by young players in Quebec and Ontario from September 1995 to the end of August 2002.

It found players in Ontario, where bodychecking is allowed starting at 13, had twice the number of injuries as minor leaguers in Quebec, where the minimum age is 14.

Alison Macpherson, professor at York University's School of Kinesiology and Health Science.
Alison Macpherson, professor at York University's School of Kinesiology and Health Science.

"In Ontario, where bodychecking is allowed earlier, there isn't a protective effect of learning earlier compared with players in Quebec," researcher Andrew Howard, an orthopedic surgeon at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children, told CBC.

Hockey Canada defines bodychecking as a legal, defensive tactic that involves "applying physical extension of the body toward the puck carrier in an opposite or parallel direction."

The study found 63 per cent, or 3,006, of the 4,736 injuries reported during that period were in Ontario, compared to 37 per cent, or 1,730, in Quebec. The majority of the injuries – 59.6 per cent, or 2,824 – occurred in areas where checking was allowed.

"The injuries where children were allowed to bodycheck were more severe," said Alison Macpherson, the study's lead researcher and a professor at York University's School of Kinesiology and Health Science.

"There were a greater proportion of concussions and fractures among younger children."

Howard argues other provinces should follow Quebec's lead and increase the minimum age for checking.

Parents debate

Paul Carson, director of development with the Canadian Hockey Association, doesn't accept the report's recommendation.

"It shouldn't be one specific study that drives policy; it's a collection of all those resources," Carson said.

Carson said the CHA is waiting for the results of its own study of leagues in southern Ontario and Saskatchewan before it decides whether to continue allowing young players to bodycheck. That could take a few months.

In the meantime, parents and players are divided about whether bodychecking should be banned among players nine to 14.

"As far as I'm concerned, they bring in the checking too early," said one man at Prince Edward Island's annual Spud Tournament.

"Kids in their first year of peewee, once they're told that they can check, they can play the first month of the season without a puck ... because they just want to hit their opponent."

Another man at the tournament said: "I think it's really understanding how to play the game and to get good coaching, so that you understand how to check and how to take a check."