Hockey referees: are they part of the solution for concussions in youth hockey?

Sport-related concussions affect youth (ages 5-18) athletes in many aspects including, physical (e.g., headaches), cognitive (e.g., difficulty concentrating), emotional (e.g., feeling anxious), vestibular-ocular (e.g., balance issues), and sleep-related (e.g., fatigue). Youth athletes demonstrate an unwillingness to report concussion symptoms; due to this, sports organizations should explore avenues that improve concussion recognition and the removal process for athletes with concussions. Through the application of the rule book, ice hockey officials are delegated with maintaining safety and fairness within the game. Through video interviews, 10 ice hockey officials were asked about their perceptions regarding removing athletes with concussions being added to their role. Four themes were generated from these interviews; Considerations and Importance of the Protocol, Officials’ Knowledge of Concussions, Required Training, and Barriers. Officials expressed that among the many considerations needed for this protocol to be implemented, improving the knowledge of officials and other stakeholders regarding concussions and rule implementation would be required. Participants recognized that although adding this task to their role was a logical extension, there was hesitation as to its practicality. To improve athlete safety, sports organizations should explore methods such as having officials recognize symptoms and provide them with authority to remove them from the competition.