11-13-2025 - FYHP Coaches Email

Coaches -

I just wanted to take a moment to remind everyone to keep player safety at the forefront of everything we do.

USAHockey has a helpful website on player safety, linked here: https://www.usahockey.com/playersafety

It covers a variety of topics, including neck lacerations, substance abuse, and concussions. I feel like head injuries are one of those things where the severity is difficult to assess as we're not medical personnel, but I would encourage everyone to be cautious when dealing with potential head injuries.

We're charged with leading kids through emotional games. Oftentimes a player may want to return to a game after sustaining a big hit - but you have to do what's best for the individual. That's why USA Hockey has the following quote: When in doubt, sit them out. USA hockey publishes the following guidance for suspected concussions:

If you suspect that a player has a concussion, you should take the following steps:

 - Remove athlete from play
 - Ensure athlete is evaluated by an appropriate health care professional. Do not try to judge the seriousness of the injury yourself.
 - Inform athlete's parents or guardians about the known or possible concussion and give them the fact sheet on concussion.
  - Allow athlete to return to play only with permission from an appropriate health care professional.

We haven't received any complaints from FYHP coaches pressing the limits with this, but we have heard of instances in other programs where player safety was not prioritized. I strongly encourage everyone to read through the resources as a helpful refresher, and continue to maintain the perspective that while we may think every game is important - these kids are still very young - don't be the reason that someone has a lifetime of medical issues.

Congrats to the 14U LF and 14UB JF teams for their victories over Natick on Tuesday in their playdown games. FYHP is going to start publishing playdown games on their website. As coaches, it's a great opportunity to encourage your team to go and cheer on their program. It's a strong message from the community when an opposing team shows up, and our side of Loring is full of fans.

Have a great weekend!

Best,

Eric