New research concludes allowing young hockey players to bodycheck at an early age doesn't protect them from injury as they move into older, harder-hitting leagues.
In fact, University of Calgary researcher Paul Eliason says kids who are already used to bodychecking by the age of 15 suffer injuries at a rate more than twice as high as players that age who are new to it.
Eliason's paper is published today in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
He says he undertook the study to examine arguments that kids who learn early how to give and take an on-ice hit are safer than those who don't.
He says the results from studying 941 kids over three seasons show the opposite.
Eliason says his findings confirm the wisdom of minor hockey associations that have banned bodychecking for their youngest players.