University of Missouri law professor Doug Abrams is the 2013 recipient of the Excellence in Safety Award presented by USA Hockey, the sport's national governing body. He is the first lawyer and law professor to receive the award, which usually recognizes a nationally known physician or medical researcher for "outstanding contributions through many years of service to make hockey a safer game for all participants."
Abrams coached youth hockey for 42 years. He played a major role in creating mid-Missouri's organized youth hockey teams in 1991, and served as president of the new mid-Missouri youth hockey association's first president for 11 years.
Abrams has gained national recognition for speaking and writing about concussions and other important safety issues in youth sports. He is a longtime member of MomsTEAM's Team of Experts, contributing a monthly blog called "Youth Sports Heroes," which highlights extraordinary acts of sportsmanship by youth athletes.
"Tolerance for concussions should be considerably lower in children's games than in the pros," Abrams said in a recent symposium at the University of Mississippi Law School. "Professional athletes are well paid adults who can decide for themselves how much risk of injury to tolerate, but children play to have fun and develop their skills."
Abrams will receive the Excellence in Safety Award at USA Hockey's Annual Congress at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado on June 7.
Source: University of Missouri School of Law
Posted April 22, 2013
