Hockey is exciting, fast, precise, and, well pretty brutal! Body blows, falling on the solid surface of the ice, getting checked into the boards and watch out for a flying puck or stick in the face! So why does this sport remain one of the most popular sports in the world?
We talked to Stephanie Price, DPT and Clinical Director of the ATI Physical Therapy Grosse Pointe Woods clinic in MI to see why. Stephanie is a life long hockey player, and coach of a girls’ hockey team. Stephanie even played hockey with current U.S. Speed Skater Jessica Smith when they were 10 years old!
ATI: Stephanie, what do you love about this sport, and why?
I love the team atmosphere, the competitiveness, and the FUN! The dynamics of a team in hockey can play a large role in the performance of a team. Even if you have the best player, in the end it is a team sport and everyone has to be clicking and on the same page in order for a team to play at its full potential. The competitiveness of wanting to win and put everything you have on the ice each shift is exhilarating. Hockey is the best sport I have ever played. There is nothing like hearing your skates cut through ice or the celebration of a game winning goal. Plus who gets bored watching hockey?
ATI: Have you ever been injured during hockey?
I suffered a few minor concussions as a child, but my most memorable happened in college. When I was a junior in college (which was a year before I started graduate school for Physical Therapy) I suffered an acromioclavicular separation, or separated shoulder of the left shoulder, after a hit from behind from an opponent.
I play aggressive so a return hit was no surprise, but this time I was hit just right into the boards. I ended up leaving the game and had to sit out 6 weeks of my season. I was lucky enough to only have a grade II separation with a nearly complete tear of the acromioclavicular ligament, but coracoclavicular ligaments were intact helping me to avoid surgery.
Before that injury I had never realized how much a shoulder injury can affect everyday activities. I would feel the pain just trying to sit up. I participated in therapy during my weeks of not playing games and once cleared continued to skate with one arm immobilized to keep my legs in shape.
ATI: What keeps you coming back on the ice despite the risks?
LOVE and FUN. Hockey is the best sport I have ever participated in. Hockey has facilitated me meeting so many people and taken me to places I may not have gone to if I hadn’t played. There are risks in every sport; if you condition correctly and play smart you reduce those risks. I have never played a game since I was 16 without stretching or doing a proper warm up.
ATI: What about the teams you have coached, anything specific you can share about their recovery and what drives them to get back on the ice?
With the teams I coach I have seen wrist sprains, general knee pain, and concussions. With my background in PT I have taped many joints that have suffered from minor sprains to help the athlete continue to play. I have also offered advice about not letting a child play because of risks of re-injury or coming back from a concussion too soon. Telling someone they cannot play is harder to do than injury recovery, athletes generally just want to get back to what they love to compete in.
ATI: What would you say to someone who is considering starting hockey, or wants to take their passion to the next level?
If starting to play, DO IT!! No matter what age or skill level, there is a program for you to get out on the ice a begin to learn to play. To someone that wants to take their passion to the next level, be focused and do it because YOU love it. Sometimes kids these days are pressured into sports that their parents like or were good at. Be sure that the sport is your passion, only then will you reach your full potential. If you get injured, no worries, I can take great care of you and get you back on the ice ASAP!