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Hockey Season Left 37 Players Legally BlindOTTAWA (CP) — A medical report □n eye injuries during hockey games was released Tuesday and Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) officials promised to restrict rough play next season.Dr. Robert Pashby of Toronto presented the results of a survey of sports by Canadian doctors at the Canadian Ophthalmological Society’s 38tli annual convention.He said 37 of 237 amateur hockey players injured during the 1974-75 season were rendered legally blind. In UlC1972-73 season 20 of 287 injuries led to blindness.There was this reaction from George Armstrong, Toronto Marlboros coach; “The main purpose of hockey is forrecreaUon, Aggression and dirty play is not necessary.”ArmsU'ong was on a panel at themeeting.Here are some of Dr. Pashby’s find-ings;—Eight per cent of all head injuries occur In the eye.—Three out of four eye injuries in the 1972-73 season were caused by sticks. In 1974-75 five out of eight were blamed on sticks.—Pucks caused 19 per cent of the1972-73 eye injuries and 23 per cent in1973-74.—More than 70 per cent of the eye injuries reporLed occurred in games played in organized leagues.—A m a t e ur hockey players spent1,000 days la (he hospital because of eye injuries in 1972-73 season aud 850 in 1974-75.—Hockey sticks were the cause of 52 per cent of the injuries which led to biindiicss.—Eye injuries last season occurred most frequently among players over 20, but one-third were among players between 11 and 15 years.Dr. Pashby recommended that proper eye protectors be made available to all amateur hockey players and that the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) approve specific kinds of protection.Panel member Tom Lawson of the CAHA, said the association has been under pressure to do just that.A new rule on eye protection will be Avritten before the upcoming season be said.“It would give the player the option of wearing any kind of eye and tooth protection he wants but it would not be mandatory.”The only stipulation-it must be safe and strong.Last year the CAHA ruled that players can only wear a mask or eye shield, when it was prescribed by tbe club doctor.George LynJi of the CSA committee on protective equipment for hockey, said tests of eye shields of different materials — wire and synthetics — and different strengths are stiU under way. But CSA approval for certain shields isI’kely to come before the 1975-76 season, he said.Bob Nadin, a member of the CAKArules coramiltee said tougher penalties will be introduced next season to reduce eye injuries, especially those caused by sticks.“If a player knows he’s going to be expelled from a game he’ll he careful to keep his stick down. And it places more of a burden on the coach who will have to teach them to keep their slicks down,” he said.Match 'penalties, which suspend a player until he is dealt with by the CAHA, witt be Imposed for any infraction above the shoulders which injures or is classified as intent to injure. That includes checking, high-sticking orhooking. Any tftffaction above ^ tlie shoulder will merit a major penalty, five minutes, an increase from last season's two-minute penalty.“In anticipation that masks will become increasingly more common we have introduced a match penalty for twisting a mask,” he added. ,Dr. Pashby said of 600,000 boys re-tered in the C.AHA, 4,000 to 11,000 of them have below normal vision. And a lot of these don’t know it.”He recommended that every hockey player be forced to have an examination at the start of every season so he can wear proper eye protection-glasses, shields-to prevent deterioration.of his sight.
Newspaper Details
Winnipeg Free Press
Winnipeg, Manitoba, CA
Wed, Jun 18, 1975
Page 69
Full Page
Clipped by
Jason P.
USA 29 Jul 2018
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