Team Safety Person's Guide to Hockey Canada Safety Program 2026-27

National requirement: Hockey Canada's 2026-27 By-Laws and Regulations define a Team as including at least one Team Official qualified in the Hockey Canada Safety Program (or, until no later than the end of the 2027-28 season, the HTCP in Ontario). The Playing Rules also require at least one Hockey Canada Safety Person (HTCP in Ontario) among the registered team officials on the Official Game Report (Rule 2.1 (b)). Officials are not to make any decision about the certification of team officials (Rule 2.1 Interpretation 1). Safety personnel records in the Hockey Canada Registry include level, expiry date and criminal record check.

Provincial detail (example, Hockey Alberta): Level 1 is the online Hockey Canada Safety Program, covering injury recognition and management, the fair play code and code of ethics, rink safety protocols and emergency action plan procedures. It needs 100 per cent completion, with no equivalency, is valid for three seasons, and expires on September 1 of the third season. Level 2 (Standard First Aid or a qualified medical professional, in the third season of a valid Level 1) extends expiry by up to three more seasons. Hockey Alberta's job description also lists the Respect in Sport Activity Leader Program as a minimum qualification. Other provinces and territories set their own details, so these specifics are Hockey Alberta's.

Every season: safety personnel must also review and sign the Pre-season Concussion Education Sheet before the first practice.

Sources: https://cdn.hockeycanada.ca/hockey-canada/Corporate/About/Downloads/2026-27-bylaws-e.pdf and https://cdn.hockeycanada.ca/hockey-canada/Hockey-Programs/Officiating/Downloads/2026-28-hc-rulebook-e.pdf and https://www.hockeyalberta.ca/coaches/clinic-information/safety/ and https://www.hockeyalberta.ca/uploads/source/Safety/Team_Safety_Person_Job_Description.pdf

The Hockey Canada Safety Program lists these responsibilities for the safety person, who is a volunteer team official:

• Run an effective risk management program that prevents injuries and accidents before they happen, and identify and reduce risks during all activities. If in doubt, err on the side of caution.
• Promote Fair Play, and ensure players have meaningful, enjoyable opportunities free from physical or emotional maltreatment.
• Regularly check players' equipment for proper fit, protective quality and maintenance, and advise players and parents on selecting or replacing it.
• Promote proper conditioning, warm-up and cool-down.
• Keep accurate medical information files on all players and team officials and bring them to all team activities.
• Maintain a Player Injury Log.
• Keep a fully stocked first aid kit and bring it to all team activities.
• Implement an effective Emergency Action Plan and practise it regularly.
• Recognize life-threatening and significant injuries and be prepared to deal with serious injury.
• Manage minor injuries using basic injury management principles and refer players to medical professionals when necessary.
• Recognize injuries that require a player to be removed from action, refer the player to medical professionals and coordinate return to play.
• Promote a healthy lifestyle: hygiene, performance-enhancing substances, drug and alcohol abuse, nutrition and hydration.
• Communicate with players, coaches, parents, physicians, therapists, paramedical personnel, officials and other volunteers about safety, injury prevention and players' health status.
• Act as safety person for both your team and the opponents if only one safety person is present.

Source: https://cdn.hockeycanada.ca/hockey-canada/Hockey-Programs/Safety/Safety-Program/Downloads/safety_persons_responsibilities_e.pdf

Hockey Canada's "Emergency Action Plan for Hockey" form says the coach, manager and safety person should meet at the start of the season to make sure they have the volunteers needed for the plan, and the safety person implements it and practises it regularly with the team so everyone understands their roles.

Arena information to record: arena or facility name, address and telephone number, and emergency telephone numbers (emergency, ambulance, fire department, hospital, police and general).

Equipment locations to mark on a map of the facility: phones, exits, first aid and AED.

Three roles to assign:

• Safety person / charge person: takes control of the situation, keeps the player and bystanders still, assesses whether an ambulance or medical care is needed, and signals the others if the injury is serious.
• Call person: makes the emergency call (tests their cell phone in the facility first), knows where alternate phones are (with change or a phone card if necessary), ideally attends all games and practices and is not involved on the bench, has a list of emergency numbers for the area, and has a diagram with directions and the best route to the arena.
• Control person: pre-determines the AED and emergency equipment locations, retrieves the AED or first aid kit if requested, seeks highly trained medical personnel in the facility if asked by the charge person, keeps teammates and spectators out of the way, advises opponents, on-ice officials, arena staff and parents of the steps being taken, keeps the route to the ice surface clear for the ambulance crew, and meets the ambulance and directs EMS to the player.

You also need a pre-determined signal and a pre-determined first aid or medical person.

Source: https://cdn.hockeycanada.ca/hockey-canada/Hockey-Programs/Safety/Safety-Program/Downloads/eap_organization_form_e.pdf

From the Hockey Canada Emergency Action Plan flow chart:

1. Player down: the safety person proceeds to the ice. The safety person (charge person) initially takes control of the situation, tells the player to lie still and tells bystanders such as other players not to move the player. Do not move the player. Assess whether an ambulance or medical care is required.
2. Serious injury: activate the EAP by giving your pre-determined signal to the call person, control person and pre-determined first aid or medical person.
3. Call person: calls 911 immediately (landline or cell phone), stays on the line with dispatch, and goes to the injured player. The call person sends a pre-determined person to the injured player to get more information and bring it to the phone, and returns to the player once dispatch has the information needed. The call person then stays with the safety person and injured player in case the condition changes.
4. Control person: goes to ice level and opens the gate by the ice surface. If the AED or first aid kit is needed, the control person retrieves it and brings it to the player. The control person works with arena staff to clear the area for EMS, goes outside to wait for the ambulance and directs EMS to the injured player, and relays information to parents, coaches and others.
5. EMS arrives and takes over player care.

If the safety person lacks first aid or AED training, the pre-determined person with that training goes to the player when the call person is signalled to implement the EAP.

Game officials: the game official remains in charge of the overall environment. If the safety person signals for help, several pre-determined people may respond and need access to the ice. Once the ambulance is called, the officials should send both teams to their dressing rooms.

Source: https://cdn.hockeycanada.ca/hockey-canada/Hockey-Programs/Safety/Safety-Program/Downloads/eap_organization_form_e.pdf

The Hockey Canada Concussion Protocol requires all players, parents or guardians, coaches, trainers, safety personnel and team staff to review and submit a signed copy of the Pre-season Concussion Education Sheet (or an alternative directed by the province or territory) to their coach or team designate before the first practice of the season. Officials submit theirs to their administrator before officiating their first game of the season.

The team staff sheet has a role box to tick (Coach, Manager, Safety Person, Trainer or Other) with printed name, signature and date. It covers what a concussion is, when to suspect one, observable signs and symptoms, what to do (remove the individual immediately and arrange medical assessment as soon as possible, with written medical clearance from a medical doctor or nurse practitioner before returning to activities with a risk of contact or falls), return to school and sport, and prevention.

The protocol also encourages pre-season in-person orientation sessions on the Concussion Protocol for players, parents, coaches, trainers, safety personnel and team staff.

Sources: https://cdn.hockeycanada.ca/hockey-canada/Hockey-Programs/Safety/Concussion/Downloads/hc-concussion-protocol-e.pdf and https://cdn.hockeycanada.ca/hockey-canada/Hockey-Programs/Safety/Concussion/Downloads/hc-pre-season-concussion-education-sheet-team-staff-e.pdf

Under the Hockey Canada Concussion Protocol (effective May 6, 2025), safety personnel, coaches, trainers, team staff, parents and officials are all responsible for recognizing and reporting a suspected concussion.

Suspect a concussion if a player takes an impact to the head, face, neck or body and shows one or more observable signs or reports one or more symptoms (listed in the Concussion Recognition Tool 6). This includes cases where nobody saw the impact. Signs listed on Hockey Canada's team staff education sheet include lying motionless on the ice, being slow to get up, disorientation or confusion, being unresponsive, unsteadiness or poor balance, a blank or vacant stare, and a facial injury. A player does not need to be knocked out.

What to do:

1. Remove the player from the activity immediately. They must undergo medical assessment as soon as possible.
2. If any red flags are present (for example loss of consciousness, convulsions, worsening headaches, repeated vomiting or neck pain), suspect a more severe head or spine injury, follow first aid principles and get emergency medical assessment. An ambulance should be called immediately. Do not remove equipment (unless formally trained to) or move the player, and do not leave the player alone until the ambulance arrives. For a youth player, contact the parents or guardians immediately; for an adult, contact their emergency contact if one has been provided.
3. If there are no red flags and a licensed healthcare professional is present, they assess the player. A youth player (under 18) suspected of a concussion must not return to the game or practice and is referred for medical assessment. If no licensed healthcare professional is present, refer the player to a medical doctor or nurse practitioner as soon as possible.

If the player is removed only as a precaution and shows no signs or symptoms, they can return but should be monitored for delayed symptoms for up to 48 hours.

Source: https://cdn.hockeycanada.ca/hockey-canada/Hockey-Programs/Safety/Concussion/Downloads/hc-concussion-protocol-e.pdf and https://cdn.hockeycanada.ca/hockey-canada/Hockey-Programs/Safety/Concussion/Downloads/hc-pre-season-concussion-education-sheet-team-staff-e.pdf

Under the Hockey Canada Concussion Protocol (effective May 6, 2025), a player diagnosed with a concussion is managed under the supervision of a medical doctor or nurse practitioner using the Return-to-School Strategy (if applicable) and the Hockey-Specific Return-to-Sport Strategy. The two begin at the same time and the first step is the same.

Rules for the six steps:

• The player spends a minimum of 24 hours at each step.
• Symptoms may worsen slightly during steps 1 to 3 if the increase is mild (one to two points on a zero-to-10 scale) and brief (settling within 1 hour). If symptoms worsen more, the player stops and tries again the next day at the same step.
• Before step 4, the player must have completed all steps of the Return-to-School Strategy (if applicable) and must give their coach or safety person a Medical Clearance Letter (or traditional medical documentation) showing a medical doctor or nurse practitioner has personally evaluated them and cleared them for activities with risk of falls or contact. In rural, remote or northern areas, a nurse with pre-arranged access to a doctor or nurse practitioner can provide it.
• Step 4 is non-contact training drills with risk of inadvertent head impact; step 5 is all non-competitive activities and full-contact practice; step 6 is unrestricted sport and physical activity (Medical Clearance Letter).
• If symptoms return during steps 4 to 6, the player returns to step 3 until symptoms fully resolve, and medical clearance is needed again before step 4.

Documents: a player who is assessed and found not to have a concussion should get a Medical Assessment Letter (or traditional documentation) and can return without restriction. The letter contains personal health information, so the player or their parent or guardian provides it to the coach or safety person. The Hockey Alberta job description also has the safety person coordinate return to play and document all return to play steps.

Persisting symptoms: most players recover within four weeks; about 15 to 30 per cent have symptoms longer than that and may benefit from specialized interdisciplinary care.

Sources: https://cdn.hockeycanada.ca/hockey-canada/Hockey-Programs/Safety/Concussion/Downloads/hc-concussion-protocol-e.pdf and https://cdn.hockeycanada.ca/hockey-canada/Hockey-Programs/Safety/Concussion/Downloads/hc-medical-clearance-letter-e.pdf and https://cdn.hockeycanada.ca/hockey-canada/Hockey-Programs/Safety/Concussion/Downloads/hockey-canada-concussion-policy-e.pdf

The safety person maintains a Player Injury Log (Hockey Canada Safety Program, Safety Person's Responsibilities). The Hockey Canada Injury Log form has columns for: date, name, injury description, management (ice, bandage, tape), follow-up and recommendations, whether the Hockey Canada Injury Report was submitted, return to play form (requested and received), and the safety person's initials. It also records the player or team and the safety person's name.

The log must report, at minimum, each time:

• a player is removed for the remainder of the game because of an injury sustained during play;
• a player is injured during a practice, on or off the ice;
• a player is forced to leave a game or practice for unknown medical reasons;
• a player is injured during a hockey related event.

If an injury requires medical referral or hospitalization, also complete and submit a Hockey Canada Injury Report. Hockey Alberta's Team Safety Person job description adds that the log is submitted to the local association.

Source: https://cdn.hockeycanada.ca/hockey-canada/Hockey-Programs/Safety/Safety-Program/Downloads/injury_log_e.pdf (revised July 16, 2018) and https://cdn.hockeycanada.ca/hockey-canada/Hockey-Programs/Safety/Safety-Program/Downloads/safety_persons_responsibilities_e.pdf

Hockey Canada's claim process sets these steps:

1. Use the Hockey Canada Injury Report Form that carries your Member's logo (your provincial or territorial branch).
2. Complete all fields. Incomplete forms cause delays in processing the claim.
3. Submit the form to your Member within 90 days of the accident, and keep a copy.
4. Receipts may be submitted with the form or afterwards, up to 52 weeks after the accident. Receipts may be sent directly to Hockey Canada, attention claims, c/o House of Sport, R.A. Centre, 2451 Riverside Dr., Ottawa, Ontario, K1H 7X7, with the player's name, phone number, address, birth date, the date of the accident and a copy of the injury report. No payments are made without the original receipts.
5. The Member reviews and approves the form and sends it to Hockey Canada, which enters it and opens a file. Processing can take up to 6 weeks, and Hockey Canada does not contact you unless it needs more information.

Adult hockey players in ASHN and ASHL are directed to a separate insurance page (http://ashl.adultrechockey.ca/insurance-s13229).

When it applies: the Hockey Canada Injury Log note says that if an injury requires medical referral or hospitalization, you complete and submit a Hockey Canada Injury Report. Hockey Alberta's Team Safety Person job description also has the safety person complete the Hockey Canada Injury Report on behalf of the team and submit it to the local association and Hockey Alberta.

Source: https://cdn.hockeycanada.ca/hockey-canada/Hockey-Programs/Safety/Insurance/Downloads/claim_process_e.pdf and https://cdn.hockeycanada.ca/hockey-canada/Hockey-Programs/Safety/Safety-Program/Downloads/injury_log_e.pdf and https://www.hockeyalberta.ca/uploads/source/Safety/Team_Safety_Person_Job_Description.pdf

Going on the ice (Playing Rules 2026-2028, Rule 2.4):

• Any on-ice official may stop play immediately if they suspect a serious injury (Rule 2.4 (b) Note 1).
• When play is stopped for an injured player (other than a goaltender), that player leaves the ice and cannot return until play has resumed. A player who refuses to leave is penalized for Delay of Game.
• Whenever the trainer or safety person comes onto the ice to attend to a player, the player (excluding a goaltender) is classified as injured and must leave the ice until play resumes (Rule 2.4 (b) Interpretation 1).
• A trainer or safety person may attend to an injured goaltender in the crease without the goaltender having to retire and be replaced by the alternate goaltender, but must first get the referee's permission before leaving the bench and going on the ice (Rule 10.1 (a) Interpretation 9).
• If the referee lets players leave the ice because of a serious injury, play must be ready to resume immediately when the referee notifies them (Rule 2.4 (e)).

The other team: if only one safety person is present at the game, they act as the safety person for both their own team and the opponents (Hockey Canada Safety Program, Safety Person's Responsibilities). Under the Hockey Canada Emergency Action Plan, the game official remains in charge of the overall environment, and once an ambulance is called the officials should send both teams to their dressing rooms.

Sources: https://cdn.hockeycanada.ca/hockey-canada/Hockey-Programs/Officiating/Downloads/2026-28-hc-rulebook-e.pdf and https://cdn.hockeycanada.ca/hockey-canada/Hockey-Programs/Safety/Safety-Program/Downloads/safety_persons_responsibilities_e.pdf and https://cdn.hockeycanada.ca/hockey-canada/Hockey-Programs/Safety/Safety-Program/Downloads/eap_organization_form_e.pdf