Risk management
Protecting the rink and its patrons
by CHARLES F. GFELLER
44 / NOVEMBER.DECEMBER.2015 RINKMAGAZINE.COM
A
dult Hockey leagues
have proven to be fertile
ground for personal injury liti-
gation. Most adult leagues are
"no-checking" leagues, but as anyone who
has ever played or even watched hockey at
any level knows, there is no such thing as
"non-contact" hockey.
Unfortunately, plaintiffs' lawyers
often fail to understand the distinction
between "no-checking" and "non-contact,"
and when a player gets injured in an adult
league game, a lawsuit results in which the
plaintiff claims that the league was sup-
posed to be "no-checking," and so there
should have been no physical contact what-
soever. The theory continues that since
there was physical contact, resulting in the
injury to the plaintiff, the ice was not being
properly supervised by the facility.
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF BIGSTOCK, USA HOCKEY
How physical
contact in adult
hockey leagues
can lead to
litigation
No Fighting!
