Attendance of ice hockey matches in the Czech Extraliga

This paper uses data about 3,640 matches played in the seasons 2000/01-2009/10 to explain individual match attendance of the top Czech ice hockey competition – the Extraliga. Some interesting results are that fans decide whether to attend based on the detailed information about the home team, but use just the easily observable information about the away team; that a match having no impact on the final season outcome is much less attended; that televising a match decreases attendances of all matches played on the same day, but there is no negative next-day effect; that both very good and very bad weather decreases attendance; and that if two home matches are played in a short time period, their attendance is lower with likely higher impact on the second match. Substitution of ice hockey with soccer is investigated on several different levels – while ice hockey and soccer are definitely long-term substitutes, there are mixed results for same-day substitution. Modernization of ice hockey arenas is identified as the key factor behind the almost 20% attendance growth in the analyzed period. This paper also presents a new realistic method of modeling seasonal uncertainty based on Monte Carlo simulation that does not rely on ex post information.attendance demand; ice hockey; Czech Republic; seasonal uncertainty; Monte Carlo

The Effect of Professional Sports Success on Youth Participation: Growing the Game of Women\u27s Ice Hockey

In February of 2018, the United States Women’s National Ice Hockey Team (Team USA) won gold at the Winter Olympics for the first time since 1998. The problem surrounds the unique components of the sport of ice hockey and identifying how to capitalize on international success to increase youth participation. The purpose of this study is to 1) identify the components needed to grow the game of female youth ice hockey, and in doing so, 2) identify the main barriers inhibiting the growth of female youth ice hockey. The research relies on semi-structured interviews with ice hockey experts including current and former Team USA players and youth hockey coaches and administrators. The information gathered was organized into concept maps and led to the identification of eleven components of growing the game of ice hockey, eight barriers, six intangible benefits, and six additional concepts relating to the growth of youth female ice hockey labeled as “additional phrases”. The research suggests committed and intentional involvement in youth ice hockey programs by governing bodies and professional players is needed to grow the game of hockey. In conclusion, research studies on female youth and professional ice hockey are still needed as sports and society are constantly changing, so the growth components and barriers are constantly evolving

Investigating strength and range of motion of the hip complex in ice hockey athletes

CONTEXT: Ice hockey athletes frequently injure the hip complex via a non-contact mechanism. We investigated patterns of strength and range of motion (ROM) to establish major differences compared to soccer athletes. Soccer athletes were compared to ice hockey athletes due to similarities between the two sports with regards to the intermittent nature and high number of lower limb injuries. OBJECTIVE: To compare the differences in ROM and strength of the hip for both the dominant (Dom) and non-dominant (Ndom) limb in ice hockey and soccer athletes. DESIGN: Case control study. SETTING: Bilateral ROM in hip flexion in sitting (FS) and lying (FL), extension, abduction, adduction, and internal rotation (IR) and external rotation (ER) was measured using a goniometer and assessed for strength using a hand held dynamometer on both the Dom and Ndom limbs. Participants. Twenty four male, active, uninjured NCAA division III ice hockey (16) and soccer (8) athletes. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: ROM and strength for hip FS, FL extension, abduction, adduction, IR and ER. A mixed model ANOVA was used to investigate interactions and main effects. RESULTS: Ice hockey athletes exhibited greater hip adduction ROM compared to soccer athletes in the Dom leg (both p=0.002) and when both limbs were combined (p = 0.010). Ice hockey athletes had less ROM in ER (p = 0.042) than soccer athletes. Ice hockey athletes displayed less strength in adduction in their Ndom leg compared to their Dom leg (p=0.02) along with less adduction than soccer players in their Ndom leg (p=0.40). Ice hockey athletes displayed less strength in hip adduction (p=0.030), FS (p=0.023) and FL (p=0.030) than soccer athletes. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that ice hockey athletes may present an 'at risk' profile for non-contact hip injuries, in comparison with soccer athletes with regards to strength and ROM of the hip

Checking In, Concussions Out: Body checking as a way of reducing concussion rates

Women’s college ice hockey, according to a study released by the NCAA in 2014, has the highest rate of self-reported concussions of any collegiate sport, men’s or women’s. This is shocking, considering the fact that body checking is illegal in women\u27s ice hockey. Why are these rates so high when there isn\u27t body checking? This investigative research project aims to realize a novel approach at reducing concussion rates in women’s ice hockey by doing the unexpected: Allowing body checking. If body checking were allowed, this would reduce the rate of concussions if it were to be implemented and taught under proper standards and techniques. With the increasing concern for concussions in high school hockey, and the current rules and precautions in place, there is focus on girls’ high school ice hockey in Maine. Maine is the optimal place to introduce body checking into girls’ ice hockey. Researching this topic goes into uncharted depths in the body checking debate, as there is very little information that supports my these ideas, and lots of information that immediately refutes them. The research being pursued will hopefully support the notion to allow body checking in girls’ high school ice hockey, as opposed to continually disallowing it. Research participants are athletic trainers, coaches, athletic directors, and referees around the state of Maine who have worked with high school ice hockey players. This research project serves as a foundation for future research and implementation of body checking in women\u27s ice hockey, and contains several analyses pertaining to my research within the topic

PERMA-based Perspectives on Sports Designing New Ways to Support Well-being in Finnish Junior Ice Hockey Players

Ice hockey is a very popular hobby among Finnish boys However there are concerns over these young athletes well-being In this article we discuss the offerings of positive psychology to sports How to use positive and strength-based approaches to enhance well-being and joy of playing among junior ice hockey players We introduce our ideas based on the development work in collaboration with the Finnish Ice Hockey Association and our earlier research on the theme Martin Seligman s PERMA theory serves as the theoretical basis of our research According to the theory well-being is construct of five elements positive emotions engagement relationships meaning and accomplishment that we operationalize into practices to be used in junior ice hockey The theoretical review shows that operationalizing the PERMA theory offers a fruitful way of combining the scientific and theoretical expertise with the knowledge about ice hockey or any sports in practice Our goal is to achieve significant results and success stories that do not only tell about success in sports such as ice hockey but as positive development as players and persons in genera

The Development of College Ice Hockey in China: Leveraging the Success for Beijing 2022

After winning the right to host the 2022 Winter Olympics, ice hockey has become more popular in colleges in China. However, the challenges to college hockey’s development in China are not surprising as new markets tend to experience struggles due to the fluidity of logics (Thornton & Ocasio, 2008) and issues of establishing legitimacy (Deephouse & Suchman, 2008). Considering this, those hoping to establish new sport institutions within untapped contexts are burdened with the arduous task of simultaneously creating and maintaining institutional structures while working to establish legitimacy (Washington, 2004). In this study, we draw from the concept of institutional work to understand how Chinese collegiate administrations and other relevant stakeholders have created, built, and sustained the emergent ice hockey environment for universities in China. This inquiry was guided by the following research questions: what factors at various institutional levels influenced the development of college ice hockey in China? How did institutional leaders utilize Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics to leverage the development of college ice hockey? To answer these questions, we employed qualitative case study methodology. Primary data were collected through 18 semi-structured interviews with university faculty, student athletes, and administrative officials. Secondary data were collected via archived documents from numerous sources. Data analysis was consistent with the Gioia methodology, wherein we identified first-order concepts, second-order themes, and aggregate theoretical dimensions (Gioia, Corley, & Hamilton, 2012). Preliminary findings suggest the development of college ice hockey in China has framed the development model with opportunities and multiple resources. Organizing capability, the hockey infrastructure, and legitimating issues impacted the development of college ice hockey. The 2022 Winter Olympics is a good opportunity for developing college ice hockey and it is bringing in additional funding and support to college hockey teams and athletes. The development of college ice hockey in China always combines with nationalism, and some student athletes also represent the national team for China. In addition, youth ice hockey development in Beijing and Heilongjiang is providing ice hockey talents for the college hockey teams around China. College ice hockey in China was facing challenges in an environment from different institutional logic orders. This study provides insights into the relationship among the nationalism, Olympics, and the development of winter sport in college. Additionally, this research outlined how public and private actors may work to create new governance structures that may be seen as legitimate

Dropping the Gloves: Fighting for Varsity Status Under Title IX— The Rise of Women’s Ice Hockey at the University of Maine

Ice hockey at the University of Maine is a culture, of sorts. The university has a long tradition of supporting and growing a large fan base around its Division 1 varsity men’s ice hockey team. On the opposite end of that, the university’s female counterpart, the varsity women’s ice hockey team appears to get lost in the fray when discussing the hockey culture at the school. The purpose of this thesis is to tell the story of UMaine’s women’s ice hockey team. From the creation of the team as a club in the late 1970s, the organization battled through a reboot in the early 80s and eventually took on the university when it made its push to achieve the varsity status it has today. Through contacting former players and researching articles from local news sources, including Bangor Daily News and The Maine Campus, this thesis serves as an extended journalistic feature story, detailing and retelling the story of the University of Maine women’s ice hockey team

NHL Heavyweights : Narratives of Violence and Masculinity in Ice Hockey

Sport is often considered a masculine area of social life, and few sports are more commonly associated with traditional norms of masculinity than ice hockey. Ice hockey is played with a great level of intensity and body contact. This is true for both men and women’s hockey. However, men’s ice hockey in particular has been subjected to criticism for its excessive violence. Sport has also been analyzed as an arena where boys and men learn masculine values, relations, and rituals, and is often linked to orthodox masculinity in particular. Tolerance for gender diversity and diverse forms of masculinity has generally increased during the last 30 years. However, orthodox masculinity seems to maintain a dominate position in sports, particularly in hyper-masculine sports such as ice hockey. In this article, narratives of masculinity and violence in professional ice hockey are a central focus. Through a narrative analysis of the biographies of two former National Hockey League (NHL) players, Bob Probert and Derek Boogaard, this article explores how narratives of masculinity and violence among hockey players have been described and how these narratives tell stories of the interplay between masculinity and violence in modern sport. The analysis illustrates how the narratives of the lives and careers of these athletes provide insight into the many personal risks and implications athletes in highly masculine sporting environments face. The analysis also illustrates how the common acceptance (and sometimes encouragement) of player violence and ‘violence against the self’ in ice hockey has led to many broken bodies, lives, and careers among professional male athletes

A Physical Profile of Elite Female Ice Hockey Players from the United States

Despite impressive numbers of hockey participants, there is little research examining elite female ice hockey players. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to describe the physical characteristics of elite female ice hockey players who were trying out for the 2010 U.S. Women\u27s Ice Hockey team. Twenty-three women participated in the study and were evaluated on: body mass (kg), height (cm), age (y) vertical jump (cm), standing long jump (cm), 1 RM front squat (kg), front squat/body mass (%), 1 RM bench press (kg), bench press/body mass (%), pull ups, and body composition (% body fat). Athletes in this sample were 24.7 + 3.1 years of age, and 169.7 + 6.9 cm tall; on average, they weighed 70.4 + 7.1 kg, and reported percent body fat of 15.8 + 1.9%. Mean vertical jump was 50.3 + 5.7 cm and standing long jump was 214.8 + 10.9 cm. Mean 1RM for upper body strength (bench press) was 65.3 + 12.2 kg (95.1 + 15.5% of body mass) and 1RM for lower body (front squat) was 88.6 + 11.2 kg (127.7 + 16.3% of body mass). This study is the first to report physical characteristics of elite female ice hockey players from the United States. Data should assist strength and conditioning coaches in identifying talent, testing for strengths and weaknesses, comparing future teams to these indicators, and designing programs that will enhance the performance capabilities of female ice hockey athletes