Headlines: Icecats Player Suffers Spinal Injury

According to the Chicago Tribune, Michael Spinell of the Libertyville/Vernon Hills Icecats suffered two fractured vertebrae in a weekend game at Glacier Ice Arena.

The injury occurred on a boarding penalty in a game against the Buffalo Grove/Hersey/Wheeling Stampede ... another combined high school hockey club. First off, we wish Michael a speedy recovery, and from the article it sounds promising.

Of interest to the youth hockey community is this discussion with Dave Fischer of USA Hockey:

USA Hockey last month tightened the rules on some penalties, including boarding, hoping to cut down on unsafe play. For all the attention given to concussions in football, hockey has its own issues with serious injuries; a Canadian study released this year reported that the incidence of brain and spinal cord injuries among hockey players has increased over the last 15 years.

The researchers found that an effective way to reduce injuries among young players is to limit body checking. USA Hockey spokesman Dave Fischer said the organization banned that two years ago for players under the age of 13, and there have been some discussions about possibly increasing that age limit.

Source: Chicago Tribune


You can find a summary of the rule changes here.




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