Safety nets return to Michigan's hockey arena next season
By Charles Paradis Michigan
Daily
(U-WIRE) ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan's
Yost Ice Arena will feature a new addition next season — safety nets.
After the tragic death of Brittanie Cecil, a 13-year-old fan at a Columbus
Blue Jackets' game, the NHL mandated that teams put up safety nets. Michigan
has decided on its own to install netting at Yost to protect spectators.
Michigan had nets in the past but removed them when the 10-foot glass
was installed.
"From a preventative standpoint, after we saw what happened to that
little girl, we just said we're not going to take any chances," Michigan
Athletic Director Bill Martin said. "Although the incidence is very rare,
it is not worth the risk.
Dr. Tom Pashby has been keeping track of sports-related eye injuries since
1972. His statistics show that Ice hockey accounted for 34 per cent of all
eye injuries over the past 25 years. Raquet sport are the second most common
cause of eye injuries, at 28 per cent. War games, which are relatively new,
have resulted in 75 eye injuries, including 32 blindings; none of the injured
players was wearing the eye protectors provided.
Most of these injuries could have been prevented if the player had
been wearing protective equipment.
 Health
effects resulting from nitrogen dioxide exposure in an indoor ice
arena
Rosenlund M, Bluhm G
Department of Environmental Health, Stockholm County Council, Sweden.
We investigated an outbreak of acute respiratory illness among adolescent
ice-hockey players in an indoor ice arena in Stockholm that had a propane-powered
ice-resurfacing machine.....
The most likely cause of the outbreak was the high level of nitrogen
dioxide that resulted from poor ventilation and a malfunctioning ice-resurfacing
machine. Propane-fueled ice-resurfacing machines should not be used in
indoor ice arenas.
— Arch Environ
Health 1999 Jan-Feb;54(1):52-7
Hughston Sports Medicine Foundation:
What causes most injuries?
Studies show that most hockey injuries
occur during games rather than practices. It is estimated that direct
trauma (a sudden forceful injury) accounts for 80% of all injuries.
Most of these injuries are caused by player contact (checking and collision),
falls, and contact with a puck, high stick, and occasionally, a skate
blade.
Penalty!!!
It has been estimated that as many
as one-third of injuries are caused by foul play. Many have observed
a need for increased vigilance in this area, particularly at the adolescent
and high school levels. Establishment and enforcement of effective
rules have led to fewer injuries.
Safehockey.com is an information clearinghouse
for those who love hockey and want to make it a safer sport. |
