IIHF U-20 World Junior Hockey Championship – Developing Talented Young Athletes

Wednesday, December 16, 2015 - 08:00

A holiday tradition is almost upon us, as the 2016 IIHF U-20 World Junior Hockey Championship (WJHC) will be held in Helsinki, Finland this coming December 26-January 5, 2016. The event has a long and illustrious history, as it was first officially held in 1977. Thanks to the success of hockey worldwide, the tournament has grown to feature 10 countries competing for gold, silver, and bronze. The tournament is held in Canada, the United States, or Europe with Canada hosting every two years.

Thanks to Canada’s passion for hockey, our country has won the most gold medals in tournament history with 16, followed by Russia/USSR with 13. Canada won their first gold medal in 1982, and won five in a row from 1993-1997 and from 2005-2009. Out of the current players in the NHL almost 400 have played in the WJHC representing their individual countries, which speaks to the high quality of talent that plays in the tournament.

The popularity of the event is partially credited to the Canadian television network The Sports Network (TSN), who took over broadcasting rights in 1991. They have been able to successfully market the tournament by pulling at the national pride of Canadians and their love for hockey. Watching the tournament has become an annual tradition, as it is held when most people are on vacation during the holidays. The tournament had 6.1 million people watch the 2011 final between Canada and Russia, which is the most watched game in tournament history.

Watching the World Junior Hockey Championship highlights how fast, strong, and skilled young hockey players these days are. How do they get to that level? Did these talented athletes focus solely on hockey from a very young age, or did they play other sports as well? There is plenty of information available for parents to consider when helping their children decide which sports to participate in. And while many high level athletes will tell you that they played a variety of different sports as a kid before setting on one, being aware of the advantages and disadvantages associated with training in one sport from an early age is important.

Consider some of these perceived benefits of sport specialization:

• Certain sports, such as gymnastics and figure skating, have athletes peak as an adolescent or early adult, which means that the athlete needs to train from an early age.
• Athletes have a better chance to be recognized by teams as a possible future star. By attending sports camps and tournaments, young athletes have a chance to excel early and make a name for themselves.
• There is a chance that the athlete will achieve early success if they are concentrating on one sport. This can help with higher self-esteem and may motivate the athlete to continue in that sport.
• Some athletes follow the 10,000 hour rule, which states that spending a lot of time doing one particular thing will make you an expert. Many athletes have had success spending hours honing their skills, such as Sidney Crosby shooting thousands of pucks at the washer and dryer in the basement .

On the other hand, there is plenty of research to support the idea that it is healthy for children to participate in multiple sports (also called sampling). Some of the advantages include:

• Agility, balance, coordination, and speed. The Canadian Sport for Life (CS4L) notes in their Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) program that encouraging children to try a wide range of sports can help them learn basic skills, which are building blocks of future success.  
• Longer careers. Athletes who participate in multiple sports have increased motivation, confidence, and self-direction because they haven’t been playing one sport their entire life.
• Less injuries. Studies have suggested that athletes who play only once sport over an extended period of time may develop injuries during their career.
• Sport for Life. Athletes who have had positive experiences with sport as children are more likely to continue through all phases of life.
• Ability to transfer motor and psychological skills from sport to sport. Athletes can use skills from one sport in a completely different sport. Jesse Lumsden is a great example of an athlete that translated his skills in football over to bobsled.

Sport specialization and sport sampling are two different ways to approach sport participation at a young age. Both offer their benefits and challenges, so be sure to get all the background before registering your child for youth sports. Keep your eye out for more research on this subject, and of course tune in to check out the excitement at the 2016 World Junior Hockey Championship!

References:

Russell, W. The Relationship between Youth Sport Specialization, Reasons for Participation, and Youth Sport Participation Motivations: A Retrospective Study. Journal of Sport Behaviour. Volume 37, Number 3, pp 286-305. September 2014.

Hall R, Barber Foss K, Hewett T, Myer G. Sport Specialization’s Association with an Increased Risk of Developing Anterior Knee Pain in Adolescent Female Athletes. Journal of Sport Rehabilitation. Volume 24, pp 31-15. 2015

Andrew Caudwell