To All SMHA Families:

Re: Ensuring Safe Return to Play and Baseline Concussion Testing

Like all Minor Hockey Parents, the SMHA Executive is committed to providing a safe and healthy playing environment for all children involved in our Association. Increasingly, news reports have focused on the risk of head injuries in many sporting activities, with a recent emphasis on hockey, and in particular, hockey at the older age ranges where physical contact is allowed.

The Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA) has well established  rules and guidelines to help address the growing concern about potential head injuries, including the introduction of new rules prohibiting head contact. The OMHA also provides comprehensive training to all Team Trainers, which includes concussion awareness, and a formal procedure for returning injured players to the ice which requires written medical clearance from the player's family physician. Locally, SMHA has taken its own steps to help further address this issue, by providing additional clinics to Bantam and Pee Wee level players early in the season, to help better train them to manage on ice contact in a safe and controlled manner.

We are also pleased to announce that local Physiotherapist Karen Goodyear, has agreed to offer Baseline Concussion Testing to SMHA families, at a competitive group rate. This form of testing is increasingly being used in many sports to help assess whether players have sustained a possible head injury, and when it is safe and appropriate for them to return to play. The Baseline Concussion Testing is not mandatory in nature, and we are simply advising SMHA parents of its availability in the community. The service is entirely optional in nature, and should SMHA parents and/or players wish to retain Ms. Goodyear in order to have an preliminary assessment performed, they may contact her directly. Please visit www.goodyearphysiotherapy.com or download the brochure here.

While Baseline Concussion Testing is considered by many to be a useful diagnostic aid to help assess when it is safe for a player to return to the ice, it should not be considered a replacement for primary care from a physician. It is simply another potential tool that concerned parents may wish to be aware of, to help ensure that their child is not returning to the ice prematurely before having had a full opportunity to recover from a possible injury.

We would like to thank Karen Goodyear for offering to make this service available to SMHA Families, and wish everyone a safe and injury free hockey season.

Yours truly,


Randy Miller
President