ASIAN HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP RULES AND REGULATIONS

All rules apply to all divisions (additional Men’s and Children’s rules are listed at the bottom):

AHC’s CONCUSSION code of conduct (Rowan’s Law)

AHC encourages all participants to this tournament, as well as during their regular hockey participation, to be familiar with the concussion protocols put in place by the new legislation also known as Rowan’s Law.

AHC abides by Hockey Canada’s Concussion Policy, which we ask all participants, coaches and parents / guardians to review same.

See Hockey Canada’s website for more information. This is Hockey Canada’s Concussion Card and their Concussion Recognition Tool 5 card.

AHC Policy: As we are a community tournament, any player removed from play due to concussion concerns cannot be allowed, by their coach/parents/family, to return to play (i.e. even in a subsequent game), without following Hockey Canada’s “6 Step Return to Play” protocol (modified to fit the circumstances i.e. absence of body contact) and having a note from a medical doctor clearing them to play. Adult players are expected to abide by this policy and not to return to play unless they have followed Hockey Canada’s “6 Step Return to Play” protocol (modified to fit the circumstances i.e. absence of body contact) and having a note from a medical doctor clearing them to play.

Since Hockey Canada requires players to not play for one week after a possible concussive event, that means, effectively, that any player removed from play due to concussion concerns will miss the rest of the AHC tourney that year.

We understand that, in a short tourney like AHC, the loss of a player can weaken a team. Your health, however, is far more important that a tournament result. Please understand that AHC is relying on the participants (i.e. players, coaches, parents / guardians) to self-monitor themselves and to abide by Rowan’s Law / Ontario’s concussion law / Hockey Canada’s Concussion Policy. Please do not expect the AHC to be the watchdog…if you or someone on your team has a suspected concussion, please see the doctor and keep yourself off the ice, from any hockey, for at least one week. Also get medical clearance to return to play.

Coaches in the AHC. Specifically, we ask coaches to ensure that they have reviewed Hockey Canada’s Concussion Policy and AHC’s Concussion Code of Conduct, as well as any other documents that they think may help them identify and handle any potential concussion problems.


As we are a community tournament, medical staff are not on-site during the tournament. If any medical emergency arises, people are encouraged to call 911 in the usual manner and/or seek medical attention as required.

What is a concussion?

A concussion is a disturbance in brain function caused by a direct or indirect force to the head. It results in a variety of nonspecific symptoms (like those listed below) and often does not involve loss of consciousness. Concussion should be suspected in the presence of any one or more of the following:

  • Symptoms (such as headache), or
  • Physical signs (such as unsteadiness), or
  • Impaired brain function (e.g. confusion) or
  • Abnormal behaviour.

Any athlete with a suspected concussion should be REMOVED FROM PLAY, medically assessed, monitored for deterioration (i.e., should not be left alone) and should not drive a motor vehicle.

For ease of reference, materials that may assist participants to learn about this include the following: