Alongwith helmets and other equipment, this still does not change the style of play that the players endure, which is hard andbrutal.
Hits on a player even with protective equipment may be safer, but if players beginto understand that severe consequences may be at hand,penalties and other infractions that can pose a threat to the team or a playercan be a good solutionto go by. With plays and moves being dangerous in its own, the real reasonbehind thesesplays are because of player aggravation at hate-motivated plays within thesport of hockey.Aggressive behavior has been a staple of this sport, but with this anger comes consequences,and one such consequence is injury. Inthe peer-review journal called “Effectivenessof interventions to reduce aggression and injuries among ice hockey players: A systematicreview.
” Medical personnel from the Divisionof Neurosurgery at the University of Toronto considered and examined closely at studiesthat were aimed at aggressive behavior. While this is good information, the part thatis most intriguing is that of penalties, which make up for actions that are against the rule book,and can result in player being placed in the penalty box for a short amount of time while the otherteam has a main advantage for this period. Within the studies that were conducted, the journalstates “Of 13 studies that evaluated changes in mandatoryrules intended to lessen aggression (most commonly the restriction of body checking),11 observed a reduction in penalty or injury rates associated with rulechanges, and 9 ofthese showed a statistically significant decrease.” (Effectiveness of interventions toreduce aggression and injuries amongice hockey players: A systematic review, 2013).
Even though this maysound confusing and bad, it’s good. When the leagues change their rules to fit with current issuessuch as certain moves and plays that can give leeway to more safer play, for example, if a rulewas changed, such as cross checking and blind hits, this could eliminate movesand actions that can result in seriousbodily harm. In addition to this, these new rule changes can also set exampleto younger players and give them the idea that its not acceptable in that theirteam could bedown a player and down overallconsidering their own actions.
