Concussion Policy
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Concussion Policy Purpose
To keep Ice Hockey players safe and to adopt a policy alongside other full contact New Zealand Sporting Organizations and the IIHF.
Concussion Policy
If a player shows any visible signs of a head injury/concussion, they are not to be allowed to continue playing for the remainder of that game. This is to be reported immediately at the time it happens by any Official (Referee or Linesmen) who witness the injury.
The player’s name and the nature of their injury (dazed, dizziness, vomiting, unbalanced unconscious, etc.) are to be recorded in the game sheet. The Officials must also immediately inform the player’s Coach and team Manager of this so that the player can be monitored and kept from taking to the ice again.
Any official, coach, manager or parent/guardian can make the call to the team manager. They will then liaise with the on-ice officials who will then have the authority to notify the coach/manager of their findings. This process is meant for the safety of the player involved and must be with good intent.
Alternatively, if symptoms go un-noticed by a Match Officials but are noticed by his/her Coach or Manager, they must report the injury to the Manager to record on the game sheet, to ensure the safety and well-being of their own player.
Whilst Officials and Coaches are clearly not trained physicians, they must make a judgment call on any obvious visible symptoms to ensure player safety.
Process to return to the game
Before the concussed (or suspected concussed) player can return to playing/practicing if:
- Get clearance from a medical doctor and provide a medical certificate from him/her before they can play or practice again or;
- Sit a mandatory 3 week stand down before playing (or practicing) again. If player's name appears on the game sheet with an incident of concussion, they will then be notified of this by their League GM and/or Regional President.
It is Clubs responsibility to ensure the concussed player does not play or practice until these conditions are met.
This policy works positively in many ways.
- It stops players and/or team management from ignoring concussions and not seeking medical attention.
- It ensures the players spend a satisfactory time away from contact situations and avoid putting themselves at risk of injuring themselves further.
- It minimizes the chance of players embellishing situations and making more of an incident to draw a more severe penalty on a member of the opposition. If they pretend to be injured and show symptoms of a head injury, they will not be further involved in the game thereby minimizing their own participation.