Girls hockey players who get injured during the season are constantly being given the same bad advice by their doctors. Telling an aspiring female hockey player to do this not only breaks the young athletes heart, but it is flat out wrong…

Every week I get an email from a girls hockey parent or player who is frustrated by the fact that they went to their family doctor after getting injured and the doctor tells them to “stay off it” and “rest it completely”.

First of all, telling an aspiring player that they have to sit in the stands is pure torture. There is nothing worse that watching your teammates having fun and competing out on the ice.

Now if you have a broken leg, obviously you are going to be a spectator for a while, but there are far too many doctors advising girls hockey players to stay off the ice with far less serious injuries that can be managed with proper treatment and off-ice training.

Quite often, these injuries are due to overuse, over-training or simply growth spurts and the player could continue playing if they were warming up properly before hitting the ice, cooling down and stretching afterward and receiving treatment and medical care when necessary.

I am not suggesting playing through serious pain by any means, but just because a girls hockey player has a sore groin doesn’t mean that she has to spend the first week of playoffs sitting in the stands. If players wrap it, warm-up, play, stretch and ice afterward, they should be able to compete and not risk any further damage.

Always consult your physician if you are genuinely concerned with an injury, but keep in mind that a minor injury can be managed so that a young female hockey player can compete in and enjoy the playoff run.

Work Hard. Dream BIG. Play Smart.

~ Coach Kim