Assessment of ice hockey performance in real-game conditions

Abstract

The aim of this study was to adapt a performance measurement tool, the Team Sport Assessment Procedure (TSAP), to ice hockey during match-play. In addition to the six categories included in the original observational procedure, the ice hockey TSAP contained four new categories. Twelve Pee-Wee ice hockey matches were video-recorded during a regional championship tournament. The game play of 103 of the 11- to 12-year-old players was then analysed on video by three trained observers, based on all 10 ice hockey TSAP categories. The observational data were thereafter used to compute, for each player, a “volume of play per minute” and an efficiency index. Finally, volume of play per minute and the efficiency index were combined to obtain a composite score, the TSAP performance score. Additional measurements for each player were playing time during the observed matches, coaches’ assessments (dominant, good, less decisive), and player tournament statistics (number of points, based on assists and goals). The mean TSAP performance score was substantially higher for players rated by their coaches as dominant and for players who accumulated more than one tournament point, findings that provide evidence of the validity of the TSAP measure. In inter-observer reliability analyses of TSAP observational data provided by the trained observersfrom video recordings, the level of agreement between each pair of observers was 80–82%. Reliability correlations over a series of three matches (r=0.26, 0.59, and 0.16 respectively) showed that the TSAP performance score was relatively unstable. Ice hockey coaches may use this adapted Team Sport Assessment Procedure to better understand the offensive implication of each player in a given match, since the 10 observational variables provide more extensive information on performance than traditional statistical measures. Due to low performance stability of the TSAP performance score, coaches ought to use the observational assessment data for the formative rather than the summative assessment of their players unless they cumulate information over a series of several matches. Formative assessment can be conducted either during training camps or even during the regular season.     

Event-specific impact test protocol for ice hockey goaltender masks

ABSTRACT

Goaltenders in the sport of ice hockey are at high risk for concussions from falls to the ice, player collisions and puck impacts. However, current methods used to certify helmets only consider head accelerations for drop tests which may not describe all common injury mechanisms relating to concussion. The purpose of this study was to describe the characteristics of 3 events associated with concussions for ice hockey goaltenders. A helmeted medium National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE) headform was impacted under conditions representing 3 injury events. Three impact locations’ velocities were selected for each event based on video analysis of real-world concussive events. Peak resultant linear acceleration, rotational acceleration and rotational velocity of the headform were measured. The University College Dublin Brain Trauma Model (UCDBTM) was used to calculate maximum principal strain (MPS) and von Mises stress in the cerebrum. Each impact event produced a unique dynamic response and brain stress and strain values. This demonstrates that a single impact event (i.e. falls) cannot adequately describe all impact events. As a result, impact protocols which assess multiple impact events such as the protocol described in this study should be used to evaluate ice hockey goaltender masks.     

Establishing the Test–Retest Reliability & Concurrent Validity for the Repeat Ice Skating Test (RIST) in Adolescent Male Ice Hockey Players

In this study the authors examine the test–retest reliability and concurrent validity of the Repeat Ice Skating Test (RIST). This was an on-ice field anaerobic test that measured average peak power and was validated with 3 anaerobic lab tests: (a) vertical jump, (b) the Margaria–Kalamen stair test, and (c) the Wingate Anaerobic Test. The participants (n?=?14) were 11- to 12-year-old males selected from a Peewee “A” level ice hockey team (Thunder Bay, Canada). The results of the test–retest reliability estimation showed that the RIST was a reliable test at measuring average peak power in watts (R = .99, C.I._95% = 0.97 to 0.99) and watts per kilogram (R = .98, C.I._95% = 0.94 to 0.99). The RIST was also a valid test when correlated with the 3 anaerobic lab tests for measuring peak power in watts: vertical jump (r = .86, C.I._95% = 0.72 to 0.94), Margaria–Kalamen stair test (r = .66, C.I._95% = 0.39 to 0.83) and Wingate Anaerobic Test (r = .86, C.I._95% = 0.72 to 0.93). The test is considered promising because it does not require any specific equipment, and is a sport-specific, on-ice test, that can be administered during a regular ice hockey practice session.     

Do physical maturity and birth date predict talent in male youth ice hockey players?

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the relationships among biological maturity, physical size, relative age (i.e. birth date), and selection into a male Canadian provincial age-banded ice hockey team. In 2003, 619 male ice hockey players aged 14 – 15 years attended Saskatchewan provincial team selection camps, 281 of whom participated in the present study. Data from 93 age-matched controls were obtained from the Saskatchewan Pediatric Bone Mineral Accrual Study (1991 – 1997). During the initial selection camps, birth dates, heights, sitting heights, and body masses were recorded. Age at peak height velocity, an indicator of biological maturity, was determined in the controls and predicted in the ice hockey players. Data were analysed using one-way analysis of variance, logistic regression, and a Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. The ice hockey players selected for the final team were taller, heavier, and more mature (P < 0.05) than both the unselected players and the age-matched controls. Furthermore, age at peak height velocity predicted (P < 0.05) being selected at the first and second selection camps. The birth dates of those players selected for the team were positively skewed, with the majority of those selected being born in the months January to June. In conclusion, team selectors appear to preferentially select early maturing male ice hockey players who have birth dates early in the selection year.     

Boosting ice hockey in China: political economy,mega-events and community

Abstract

With Beijing winning the bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics, China has been actively boosting winter sports in the domestic market. This article briefly reviews the history of China’s ice hockey development and discusses the growth of ice hockey in China from the perspective of policies, the 2022 Winter Olympics and youth hockey athlete development models in Beijing. The conclusion of this study indicates that the national and local governments in China are taking measures to guarantee hockey development, and the 2022 Winter Olympics have brought huge opportunities for ice hockey in China. Long-term strategies, especially the strategies for the post-2022 Winter Olympic era need to be conducted. In addition, the family model, the professional and youth hockey clubs are efficient ways to maintain sustainable ice hockey development in China.     

Ice friction of flared ice hockey skate blades

Abstract

In ice hockey, skating performance depends on the skill and physical conditioning of the players and on the characteristics of their equipment. CT Edge have recently designed a new skate blade that angles outward near the bottom of the blade. The objective of this study was to compare the frictional characteristics of three CT Edge blades (with blade angles of 4°, 6°, and 8°, respectively) with the frictional characteristics of a standard skate blade. The friction coefficients of the blades were determined by measuring the deceleration of an aluminium test sled equipped with three test blades. The measurements were conducted with an initial sled speed of 1.8 m · s^?1 and with a load of 53 kg on each blade. The friction coefficient of the standard blades was 0.0071 (s=0.0005). For the CT Edge blades with blade angles of 4°, 6°, and 8°, friction coefficients were lower by about 13%, 21%, and 22%, respectively. Furthermore, the friction coefficients decreased with increasing load. The results of this study show that widely accepted paradigms such as “thinner blades cause less friction” need to be revisited. New blade designs might also be able to reduce friction in speed skating, figure skating, bobsledding, and luge.     

Detailed description of Division I ice hockey concussions: Findings from the NCAA and Department of Defense CARE Consortium

Objective:Since concussion is the most common injury in ice hockey,the objective of the current study was to elucidate risk factors,specific mechanisms,and clinical presentations of concussion in men’s and women’s ice hockey.Methods:Ice hockey players from 5 institutions participating in the Concussion Assessment,Research,and Education Consortium were eligible for the current study.Participants who sustained a concussion outside of this sport were excluded.There were 332(250 males,82 females)athletes who participated in ice hockey,and 47(36 males,11 females)who sustained a concussion.Results:Previous concussion(odds ratio(OR)=2.00;95%confidence interval(95%CI):1.02‒3.91)was associated with increased incident concussion odds,while wearing a mouthguard was protective against incident concussion(OR=0.43;95%CI:0.22‒0.85).Overall,concussion mechanisms did not significantly differ between sexes.There were specific differences in how concussions presented clinically across male and female ice hockey players,however.Females(9.09%)were less likely than males(41.67%)to have a delayed symptom onset(p=0.045).Additionally,females took significantly longer to reach asymptomatic(p=0.015)and return-to-play clearance(p=0.005).Within the first 2 weeks post-concussion,86.11%of males reached asymptomatic,while only 45.50%of females reached the same phase of recovery.Most males(91.67%)were cleared for return to play within 3 weeks of their concussion,compared to less than half(45.50%)of females.Conclusion:The current study proposes possible risk factors,mechanisms,and clinical profiles to be validated in future concussions studies with larger female sample sizes.Understanding specific risk factors,concussion mechanisms,and clinical profiles of concussion in collegiate ice hockey may generate ideas for future concussion prevention or intervention studies.     

Institutional maintenance and elite sport: a case study of high-performance women’s ice hockey in Canada

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine how Canadian women’s hockey stakeholders view the elite female hockey program and its impact upon the ability of a player to progress along the athlete development pathway. This research applied institutional work through institutional maintenance to address this purpose. A total of 21 semi-structured interviews were conducted with players, parents, coaches and administrators with experience within elite female ice hockey programs. The finding indicated a static approach that mimicked the dominant male elite sport development model that both enabled and constrained the opportunities for female players to advance to high performance levels. The implications for the future success of women’s elite hockey in Canada, and the value of the Canadian model as an exemplar to countries building their female hockey systems are discussed.     

Checking In

Despite the growing popularity of women's ice hockey in North America, players continue to face limitations because of the prohibition of body checking. In this paper, we argue from a liberal feminist philosophical perspective that this prohibition reinforces existing traditional stereotypes of female athletes. Because the women's game does not incorporate checking, female ice hockey players are not afforded the same opportunity to flourish as men and experience bodily agency, which results in continued male domination of the game, therefore, indirectly reinforcing a gender hierarchy in hockey and society.     

Coach Selections and the Relative Age Effect in Male Youth Ice Hockey

Relative age effects (RAEs; when relatively older children possess participation and performance advantages over relatively younger children) are frequent in male team sports. One possible explanation is that coaches select players based on physical attributes, which are more likely witnessed in relatively older athletes. Purpose: To determine if coach selections are responsible for RAEs by comparing RAEs in male players who played competitive versus noncompetitive ice hockey. Method: Using chi-square, we analyzed the birth dates of 147,991 male ice hockey players who were 5 to 17 years old. Players' birth dates were divided into four quartiles, beginning with January to March, which coincides with Hockey Canada's selection year. Results: There were strong RAEs (p < .001) when players were selected to competitive teams by coaches through a tryout system. On noncompetitive teams that did not have coach selections, there were strong RAEs (p < .001) from 5 to 8 years old, but not 9 to 17 years old. Conclusions: Although coaches might perpetuate RAEs, other influential social agents might include parents, which ought to be investigated in future research.     

A comparison of the capacity of ice hockey goaltender masks for the protection from puck impacts

Goaltenders in ice hockey are the only players that are on the ice for the entire game. Their position exposes them to impacts from collisions with other players, falls to the ice, and puck impacts. In competitive ice hockey leagues, head injuries resulting from puck impacts have been reported with some cases resulting in ending the player’s career. Considerable research has been conducted to assess the performance of hockey helmets; however, few have assessed the performance of goaltenders’ masks. The purpose of this study was to compare the capacity of four goaltenders’ masks for the protection from puck impact as measured by head acceleration and peak force. A Hybrid III headform was fitted with four different goaltender masks and impacted with a hockey puck in three locations at 25 m/s. The masks were found to vary in the level of protection they offered as the mask with the thickest liner resulted in lower forces than the thinnest mask for side impacts; however, the thinnest mask resulted in the lowest force for front impacts. Despite performance differences at specific locations, no one mask proved to be superior as peak acceleration and peak force values did not exceed the thresholds necessary for concussion.     

The Patricks’s Hockey Empire: Cultural Entrepreneurship and the Pacific Coast Hockey Association, 1911–1924

Abstract

At the turn of the twentieth century, two brothers started a professional ice hockey league in the Canadian Pacific Northwest. Their league would go on to challenge for the supremacy of the sport, and its franchises won on several occasions. By bringing hockey to the region, the Patrick brothers helped spread a popular Canadian cultural pastime to a region where it did not exist before thus making them cultural entrepreneurs.     

Ice hockey skate starts: a comparison of high and low calibre skaters

The forward skating start is a fundamental skill for ice hockey players, yet extremely challenging given the low traction of the ice surface. The technique for maximum skating acceleration of the body is not well understood. The aim of this study was to evaluate kinematic ice hockey skating start movement technique in relation to a skater’s skill level. A 10-camera motion capture system placed on the ice surface recorded “hybrid-V” skate start movement patterns of high and low calibre male ice hockey players (n = 7, 8, respectively). Participants’ lower body kinematics and estimated body centre of mass (CoM) movement during the first four steps were calculated. Both skate groups had similar lower body strength profiles, yet high calibre skaters achieved greater velocity; skating technique differences most likely explained the performance differences between the groups. Unlike over ground sprint start technique, skating starts showed greater concurrent hip abduction, external rotation and extension, presumably for ideal blade-to-ice push-off orientation for propulsion. Initial analysis revealed similar hip, knee and ankle joint gross movement patterns across skaters, however, further scrutiny of the data revealed that high calibre skaters achieved greater vertical CoM acceleration during each step that in turn allowed greater horizontal traction, forward propulsion, lower double-support times and, accordingly, faster starts with higher stride rates.     

Do physical maturity and birth date predict talent in male youth ice hockey players?

The aim of this study was to examine the relationships among biological maturity, physical size, relative age (i.e. birth date), and selection into a male Canadian provincial age-banded ice hockey team. In 2003, 619 male ice hockey players aged 14-15 years attended Saskatchewan provincial team selection camps, 281 of whom participated in the present study. Data from 93 age-matched controls were obtained from the Saskatchewan Pediatric Bone Mineral Accrual Study (1991-1997). During the initial selection camps, birth dates, heights, sitting heights, and body masses were recorded. Age at peak height velocity, an indicator of biological maturity, was determined in the controls and predicted in the ice hockey players. Data were analysed using one-way analysis of variance, logistic regression, and a Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. The ice hockey players selected for the final team were taller, heavier, and more mature (P < 0.05) than both the unselected players and the age-matched controls. Furthermore, age at peak height velocity predicted (P < 0.05) being selected at the first and second selection camps. The birth dates of those players selected for the team were positively skewed, with the majority of those selected being born in the months January to June. In conclusion, team selectors appear to preferentially select early maturing male ice hockey players who have birth dates early in the selection year.     

Influence of birth quarter on the rate of physical activities and sports participation

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the potential influence of birth quarter on the frequency of physical activity and participation in specific activities during adulthood. We used data from one national and one provincial survey, the 2005 Canadian Community Health Survey and the 1998 Quebec Social and Health Survey (Enquête sociale et de santé du Québec) respectively. We analysed the distribution of participants at each level of practice of a given leisure activity and work-related physical activity. In the Canadian Community Health Survey, a relative age effect was found for participation in soccer in the 25- to 60-year-old population. However, for volleyball, a significant relative age effect was also observed but with over-representation of the last quarters of the year for the whole population and for men aged 12–60 years. In the Quebec Social and Health Survey, significant differences in the frequency of distribution without a relative age effect were revealed for participation in women's ice hockey, work-related physical activity level, and stage of change for physical activity. Overall, the data indicate that the systematic relative age effect reported in other studies for some competitive sports, such as ice hockey and soccer, is not as prevalent in leisure physical activities during adulthood. This may reflect lower competitive selection and attrition in population physical activity compared with competitive sports in younger athletes.     

The Relationship of Cognitive Style and Instructional Strategy to Learning and Transfer of Motor Skills

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to test the validity of the games for understanding model by comparing it to a technique approach to instruction and a control group. The technique method focused primarily on skill instruction where the skill taught initially was incorporated into a game at the end of each lesson. The games for understanding approach emphasized developing tactical awareness and decision making in small game situations. Two physical education specialists taught field hockey using these approaches for 15 lessons (45 min each). The control group did not receive any field hockey instruction. Data were collected from 71 middle school children. Pretests and posttests were administered for hockey knowledge, skill, and game performance. Separate analyses of variance or analyses of covariance were conducted to examine group differences for cognitive and skill outcomes. The games for understanding group scored significantly higher on passing decision making than the technique and control groups during posttest game play and significantly higher than the control group for declarative and procedural knowledge. The games for understanding group scored significantly higher on control and passing execution than the other groups during posttest game play. For hockey skill, there were no significant differences among the treatment groups for accuracy, but the technique group recorded faster times than the control group on the posttest.     

Towards a wearable monitoring tool for in-field ice hockey skating performance analysis

Abstract

The capturing of movements by means of wearable sensors has become increasingly popular in order to obtain sport performance measures during training or competition. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the feasibility of using body worn accelerometers to identify previous highlighted performance related biomechanical changes in terms of substantial differences across skill levels and skating phases. Twenty-two ice hockey players of different caliber were equipped with two 3D accelerometers, located on the skate and the waist, as they performed 30 m forward skating sprints on an ice rink. Two measures of the temporal stride characteristics (contact time and stride time) and one measure of the propulsive power (stride propulsion) of a skating stride were calculated and checked for discriminating effects across (i) skill levels and (ii) sprint phases as well as for their (iii) strength of association with the sprint performance (total sprint time). High caliber players showed an increased stride propulsion (+22%, P?<?0.05) and shorter contact time (?5%, P?<?0.05). All three analysed variables highlighted substantial biomechanical differences between the accelerative and constant velocity phases (P?<?0.05). Stride propulsion of acceleration strides primarily correlated to total sprint time (r?=??0.57, P?<?0.05). The results demonstrate the potential of accelerometers to assess skating technique elements such as contact time or elements characterizing the propulsive power such as center of mass acceleration, to gauge skating performance. Thus, the findings of this study might contribute to establishing wearable sensors for in-field ice hockey skating performance analysis.     

Skating start propulsion: three-dimensional kinematic analysis of elite male and female ice hockey players

The forward skating start is a fundamental skill for male and female ice hockey players. However, performance differences by athlete’s sex cannot be fully explained by physiological variables; hence, other factors such as skating technique warrant examination. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the body movement kinematics of ice hockey skating starts between elite male and female ice hockey participants. Male (n = 9) and female (n = 10) elite ice hockey players performed five forward skating start accelerations. An 18-camera motion capture system placed on the arena ice surface captured full-body kinematics during the first seven skating start steps within 15 meters. Males’ maximum skating speeds were greater than females. Skating technique sex differences were noted: in particular, females presented ~10° lower hip abduction throughout skating stance as well as ~10° greater knee extension at initial ice stance contact, conspicuously followed by a brief cessation in knee extension at the moment of ice contact, not evident in male skaters. Further study is warranted to explain why these skating technique differences exist in relation to factors such as differences in training, equipment, performance level, and anthropometrics.     

Task Switching Effects in Anticipation Timing

Abstract

In an effort to devise a simple but effective test to indicate the overall volleyball playing ability of high school boys, a thorough review of published tests was made. From this review, it was determined that there were four important aspects of a wall-volley test. Preliminary studies investigated each of these aspects and, as a result, a test similar to Brady's test was devised.

Data regarding the finalized form of the test were gathered by administering it to three classes of grade 10 and 11 boys (total N=71). The test for validity produced a correlation coefficient of .767. The reliability test yielded a coefficient of .817.

It was concluded that the test gave evidence of being worthy of further experimentation and use in its present form.     

Development and Validation of a Method for Determining Tridimensional Angular Displacements with Special Applications to Ice Hockey Motions

Abstract

Tridimensional angular displacements of the skates were determined with a single cinecamera used in conjunction with two orthogonal rods attached to the rear part of the skater's boots. The method was based on the commutative law with the imposed restrictions that two of the angles were small in relation to the other one, and that a sequence of angular displacements was defined. This approach required the sole determinations of the planar coordinates of the three points delimiting the orthogonal rods. An experimental setup was designed to validate the method: the criterion angles were approximated with less than 2 degrees of error. Subsequently, the method was applied to a practical situation: the two-legged stop in ice hockey. The combination of this tridimensional method with instrumented strain gauge skates for the measurement of forces provides a new and powerful tool for performing kinetic analyses in tridimensional skating activities.