One More Reason To Go To The Net

“Go to the net!” your coach screams. “Go to the net!” your team mates scream. It causes traffic in front, and screens the goalie, and you get a rebound and you can pop one in, BUT you may also get a cross check in the upper back, or a butt end in the ribs, or a goalie paddle on the back of your legs, so although the goal would be fun an injury never is.

Well here is a study that should make you quit your whining and send you willingly to the front of the net.

At the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA, in a study titled Descriptive epidemiology of collegiate men’s ice hockey injuries: National Collegiate Athletic Association Injury Surveillance System, 1988-1989 through 2003-2004. (J. Agel, T.P. Dompier, R. Dick, and S.W. Marshall) they found that the majority of injuries in college hockey take place in three main areas on the ice:

1) The majority of injuries occurred between the blue line and face-off circles (28.0%)

2) The second highest occurrence was in the corner (23.5%)

3) and in third place: the neutral zone (21.4%).

That doesn’t leave too many more areas left: in front of the net, behind the net, …on the bench? But somehow in front of the net didn’t rate in the top 3. So drive hard to front of the net because statistically it won’t hurt.