Ice hockey has among the highest rates of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), including concussions, among university-level team sports. Up to 37% of concussions involve the head impacting the glass shielding or boards. The design of safer shielding is a potentially promising approach for reducing the incidence of concussions in hockey. This thesis examines the factors, including the stiffness of the shielding, that influence markers of head impact severity (linear acceleration, rotational velocity and rotational acceleration) during head-to-shielding impacts. I partnered with the SFU Men’s Ice Hockey team to collect video footage and helmet-mounted sensor data for 192 head-to- shielding impact events. On average, impacts occurred at a height of 43 cm (SD = 1.7) above the cap rail (where the shielding is secured to the boards). 43% of impacts occurred in the corners, 31% occurred along the side boards, and 26% along the end boards. The peak translational acceleration and rotational velocity did not associate with the heights of the impact above the cap rail (Chapter 2). This observation led me to examine, in Chapter 3, how shielding stiffness varies with height from the cap rail. I used a portable test device to measure the stiffness of shielding in two hockey rinks. I found that the stiffness of the shielding decreased by 15.3% for a 10 cm increase in height from the cap rail. In Chapter 4, I conducted laboratory experiments and used finite element models to examine how head accelerations depend on the location of impact on the shielding, and on shielding thickness. Peak translational accelerations averaged 85.8% larger for impacts to a 12 mm versus 5.5 mm panel, and 12.4% larger for impacts at a location 25 mm versus 60 mm above the cap rail. FEM models showed that a 3-fold decrease in shielding density resulted in 15.8% lower peak acceleration, and a 3-fold decrease in modulus led to a 10.5% decrease in peak head accelerations. The effect of density was greatest for impacts far from the cap rail, and the effect of modulus was greatest for impacts close to the cap rail. Overall, my research demonstrates that head acceleration during head-to-shielding impact is influenced by complex interactions between shielding stiffness and mass. These insights provide a scientific basis for enhancing injury prevention through improved design and regulation of shielding in hockey and similar contact sports.