Is Education Enough in the Battle Against Concussions?

Submitted by Hal Tearse on Wed, 08/14/2013 - 05:38. | comments

The growing knowledge and awareness about concussions in contact sports has brought this important issue to the forefront of these games. From youth all the way through professional levels brain injury continues to plague players and teams.

Winston Churchill is quoted as saying that "Americans eventually will do the right thing, after they have tried everything else first." That may be true when it comes to concussion safety, says longtime Minnesota hockey coach and referee, Hal Tearse.

Hal Tearse

Why Tougher Rules for Dangerous Hits in High School Hockey Will Not Work

Submitted by Hal Tearse on Sun, 05/12/2013 - 01:14. | comments

As I watch the Stanley Cup playoffs I am reminded each spring about the ever-changing rules in hockey: One set for the regular season, and one set for playoffs. Or should I say one rule book and two or more interpretations of the enforcement of the rules in the book. Clearly there is much more leeway from the rule book during the playoffs. Players tripped on breakaways do not draw a penalty. Obvious rule violations are ignored. But lets be clear about the NHL: the league is an entertainment business that happens to play hockey. Fans like the brutality and violence. It sells tickets so it is allowed to happen.

Tougher rules against checking from behind and blind-side hits in hockey won't make the sport safer. The problem is a lack of training, certification, education and compensation for on-ice officials, argues one longtime Minnesota hockey official and coach.

Hal Tearse

The End of The Hockey Season Is Time to Reflect, Both for Coaches and Players

Submitted by Hal Tearse on Mon, 03/04/2013 - 00:42. | comments

At the end of each season all players should take some time to review their performance and quality of experience playing the game. This process transcends the win loss record of the team and looks at individual development and overall quality of the experience. There are no so called “life lessons” on the score board and only through intentional review and discussions in the proper context can the real benefits of playing athletics be realized.

All top-level organizations have feedback mechanisms to help individuals develop. Without this type of communication and process between player and coach individual player development is likely to be slowed. This is very true in athletics as well as in the business world.

Hal Tearse

Concussions in Hockey: A Dark Cloud Hanging Over the Sport With A Simple Solution: Play By The Rules

Submitted by Hal Tearse on Sun, 01/20/2013 - 05:53. | comments

January 19th was a great day for ice hockey in North America with the return of the NHL, and especially in my state, which celebrated our annual "Hockey Day in Minnesota." Today, two high school teams played outdoors on Lake Pokegema in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers mens' hockey team played North Dakota, and then the Minnesota Wild played their season opener - all on TV. Across the state, youth and high school teams were also playing the game they love. But, while it was a day to celebrate hockey, it is also a reminder of the dark cloud that hangs over the game: concussions.

The end of the NHL lockout and the annual Hockey Day in Minnesota should have been cause for celebration, but for a longtime Minnesota high school hockey coach and official the hockey-fest was also a reminder that concussions continue to be a dark cloud hanging over the sport.

Hal Tearse

Putting All Your Eggs In the Hockey Basket: A Recipe For Success Or Failure?

Submitted by Hal Tearse on Tue, 01/01/2013 - 01:23. | comments

When is enough, enough? This is a question parents should be asking themselves as their kids go through the programs in search of the elusive scholarship and maybe a shot at a professional career. Yet with less than 1 percent making it to Division 1 status and fewer to the pros, tens of thousands of parents across the country feel that their ten-year-old kid is somehow the exception to the rule, the "Real Deal."

I know one 16-year-old who has all of the tools to be the "Real Deal" except for one. He is only 5'4" and has not grown for a couple years. But he and his parents are still hoping for a growth spurt. What if he doesn't grow any taller? What then?

When is enough, enough? This is a question parents should be asking themselves as their kids go through junior hockey programs in hopes of winning a college scholarship and perhaps a shot at a professional career.

Hal Tearse

Sex, Drugs, and Cheating In Sports: Is Money At The Heart Of the Problem?

Submitted by Hal Tearse on Sat, 12/15/2012 - 04:49. | comments

With much fanfare and publicity, a Minnesota high school hockey coach recently posted his 500th career win. What the articles about achieving the milestone failed to mention was that he is alleged to have racked up all those wins with the help of players he had recruited, a practice which is prohibited at the high school level in Minnesota. It would seem, however, that only winning matters to most people.

Are an entertainment-driven, winning-at-all-costs society, along with the never-ending quest for money, the root cause of the cheating, lying, alcohol and sexual abuse by coaches and athletes which too often plague today's high school and college sports?

Hal Tearse

Extending Body Checking Ban To Age 14 and Stricter Rules Enforcement: The Wrong Approach?

Submitted by Hal Tearse on Sat, 12/01/2012 - 06:06. | comments

Just a couple years ago USA Hockey banned body checking at the Pee Wee (12 and under) level, based in part on evidence that the risks of concussion and other serious injury resulting from body checking was simply unacceptable. The primary reason USA Hockey made the change, however, was to promote skill development at an age where kids are still developing, and because that development was being hindered by aggressive play intended to intimidate opponents and a winning-at-all-costs mentality. In making the rule change, USA Hockey assumed that all kids play because they want to develop their skills. I think that the majority simply want to play.

Will extending the ban on body checking in hockey to age 14 and better rules enforcement make the game safer? Perhaps we need to take a different approach, argues a longtime youth hockey official.

Hal Tearse

Boys, Girls and Locker Rooms

Submitted by Hal Tearse on Mon, 10/08/2012 - 03:51. | comments

As more girls are earning spots on squirt and pee wee teams the issue of locker room protocols is starting to rise to the surface. USA Hockey has recommended protocols, Minnesota Hockey has a slightly different take on the issue and one District Director in Minnesota has issued a different approach. The major sticking points are the definition of "undress" and when both genders can be in the locker room together.

As more girls are earning spots on squirt and pee wee teams the issue of locker room protocols is starting to rise to the surface. USA Hockey has recommended protocols, Minnesota Hockey has a slightly different take on the issue and one District Director in Minnesota has issued a different approach. The major sticking points are the definition of “undress” and when both genders can be in the locker room together.

Hal Tearse

There Is No Team in Me!

Submitted by Hal Tearse on Thu, 09/20/2012 - 03:02. | comments

There is a growing crisis in youth and high school hockey, with the the word "team" being replaced by the word "me." Players and parents of the "Me Generation" are too quick these days to criticize teammates, coaches and others for not recognizing individual talent. When players arrive at this rink with this type of attitude, the coach has no chance at all unless he or she can somehow change it.

There is a growing crisis in youth and high school hockey, with the the word "team" being replaced by the word "me." Players and parents of the "Me Generation" are too quick these days to criticize teammates, coaches and others for not recognizing individual talent.

Hal Tearse

Safety Matters in Youth and High School Hockey

Submitted by Hal Tearse on Wed, 09/19/2012 - 04:07. | comments

As the new season begins there is a renewed focus on safety in youth hockey in the USA, and in Minnesota in particular. With a heightened awareness of the potential for severe injury in contact sports like hockey and football the NGOs like USA Hockey are attacking the problem with more infrastructure surrounding teams to help protect players from each other, coaches and strangers.

As the new season begins there is a renewed focus on safety in youth hockey in the USA and in Minnesota in particular. With a heightened awareness of the potential for severe injury in contact sports like hockey and football the NGOs like USA Hockey are attacking the problem with more infrastructure surrounding teams to help protect players from each other, coaches and strangers.