Safety / Concussion Info

The most important part of any HAYHA program is safety. Our highest priority is to offer a safe environment for players to enjoy the sport that we love. One of the biggest safety concerns in youth sports today is concussion prevention and management.  

To ensure we are doing everything we can to address this concern, the HAYHA is working with partners in the community to provide FREE baseline concussion testing to our members.

The baseline test is the ImPACT (Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing) test. This nationally recognized test assesses a player’s decision-making ability, reaction time, verbal and visual memory and processing speed while healthy. In the event that the player suffers a head injury, the ImPACT test provides qualified medical providers the information necessary to determine the degree to which a player has been affected by an injury and the level of function that must be met before he/she returns to activity.

This test will not prevent a concussion; but in the unfortunate event that your child suffers a head injury, it will be the best tool you have to make sure your child fully recovers before they resume activity.

All sports and free play are associated with risk for a concussion, including playing, officiating or participating in ice hockey. It is important that all participants and parents learn about concussion prevention, recognition, treatment and return to play.

A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury-or TBI- caused by a bump or blow to the head or by a hit to the body that causes the head and brain to move quickly back and forth. Bouncing or twisting of the brain in the skull can cause chemical changes and sometimes stretching of the brain cells. A concussion disrupts the way the brain normally works. Most concussions are mild, but all concussions should be taken seriously because permanent brain damage and death can occur from another injury.

A concussion may be difficult to recognize. A player does not have to be "knocked-out" to have a concussion- less than 10% of players actually lose consciousness. Signs and symptoms may show up right after the injury or can take hours or days to fully appear. If a person reports one or more symptoms or demonstrates any signs of concussion after a blow to the head or body, s/he should be kept out of practice, play or training immediately and referred to a healthcare professional with experience in concussion management.

A concussed brain needs time to heal and the person is much more likely to have another concussion if they return to soon. Repeat concussions are usually more severe and take longer to heal. Return to play is allowed only after the individual is without symptoms, has progressed through the concussion protocol and is cleared by the health care professional.

USA Hockey provides all participants with information and educational materials about concussions, including the risk of sustaining a concussion, how to minimize these risks, concussion signs and symptoms, and USA Hockey's program for returning to play following a concussion.USA Hockey's Concussion Management Program can be found on the USA Hockey website at: http://www.usahockey.com/safety-concussions.

Any player, who in the opinion of a coach, athletic trainer, or physician exhibits any signs, symptoms, or behavior consistent with a concussion (such as loss of consciousness, headache, dizziness, confusion, or balance problems) shall be immediately removed from play and practice.

The player may not return to play and/or practice until they are cleared to return to by a health care professional who is a board certified Primary Care Sports Medicine Physician.

Such clearance must be in writing and signed by the physician via the Chicago Hawks Hockey Club / USA Hockey Return to Play (RTP) Form.

Questions, please contact:

1. Your Team Manager
2. Your Team Coach
3. Your HAYHA Board Age-Group Representative
4. The HAYHA Board: board@hayha.org