Ice Hockey Injuries in a Japanese Elite Team: A 3-Year Prospective Study (Original Research) (Report‪)‬

Ice hockey is one of the most popular sports in northern Europe and North America (1-3) and is inherently dangerous because of the fast and random nature of the game, physical contact among players, and collisions with sticks, pucks, boards, and goalposts. (l,4-6) Although previous authors. (1,3-6) have reported ice hockey injuries in European and North American countries, no such data have yet been reported regarding ice hockey injuries in Japan using a method of injury recording and daily supervision of the players during practices and games. The Japanese Ice Hockey League is the second-oldest elite sports league in Japan. It was established in 1966 to prepare for the 1972 Winter Olympic Games in Sapporo. The first Japanese Ice Hockey League was started with 5 teams and expanded to 6 teams in 1974. In 2003, the Japanese Ice Hockey League was replaced by the Asian Ice Hockey League, which expanded to 8 teams in 2004, including 4 Japanese teams, 1 Korean team, 2 Chinese teams, and 1 Russian team. As the Asian Ice Hockey League gradually expands and becomes more competitive, ice hockey-related injuries may increase.