Abstract
Background:
Epidemiological studies evaluating injuries in the National Hockey League (NHL) are primarily limited to publicly available data sources. The purpose of this study was to analyze all injuries in NHL athletes from the 2012-2013 through the 2022-2023 seasons (excluding the COVID-19–shortened seasons) to determine injury incidence, mechanism, location, and predictors of games and time lost due to injury.
Study Design:
Descriptive epidemiology study; Level of evidence, 3.
Methods:
All NHL player injuries and associated data from the 2012-2013 through 2022-2023 seasons, including the work stoppage–shortened 2012-2013 season but excluding the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 seasons that were shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic, were extracted from the Athlete Health Management System—the electronic medical record mandated for use by all NHL teams. Injury incidence density (IID) per 1000 athlete-exposures (AEs) was used for comparisons, and regression analysis was used to determine predictors of an injury resulting in ≥5 man-games lost (MGL).
Results:
A total of 24,776 injuries were recorded. The IID was 50.2 injuries/1000 AEs in the preseason, 51.3 injuries/1000 AEs in the regular season, and 67.9 injuries/1000 AEs in the playoffs. The IID was highest in forwards (55.3 injuries/1000 AEs), while injuries were most common during the first period (38.2%). Puck-related injuries were the most common injury mechanism (25.9%), and the body regions most often injured were the head (21.2%) and hand (12.9%). Overall, a mean of 2.1 man-games (8.2 days) were lost per injury, with knee (4.2 MGL/injury; 17.2 days lost/injury) and shoulder (3.6 MGL/injury; 14.2 days lost/injury) injuries resulting in the greatest mean time loss per injury. Positive predictors of ≥5 MGL included knee (OR, 2.13) and abdominal (OR, 2.08) injuries, body checks (OR, 1.81), and the goaltender position (OR, 1.78).
Conclusion:
From the 2012-2013 through 2022-2023 NHL seasons (excluding the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 seasons shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic), the highest number of injuries occurred during the regular season, while the highest rate of injury occurred during the playoffs. The greatest incidence of injuries occurred in forwards, during the first period, due to puck-related causes. Injuries occurred most commonly to the head and hand, while injuries to the knee and shoulder accounted for the greatest mean number of man-games and days lost.
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