Ice hockey helmets effectively mitigate the risk of skull fractures and focal traumatic brain injuries in professional ice hockey (PIH), but do not manage diffuse brain injuries such as concussion. This is due to current standard tests, which only represent one head impact event (a fall to the ice) and do not measure rotational head kinematics. It is important that helmets are evaluated using impact conditions that represent how players sustain concussions in ice hockey.

The objective of this study was to describe the relationship between three ice hockey helmet tests and reconstructions of three concussive injury events in PIH. A flat anvil drop test (representing head-to-ice impacts), angled anvil drop test (representing head-to-boards impacts at 30° and 45°) and pneumatic ram test (representing medium and high compliance shoulder-to-head impacts) were performed using parameters reflecting concussive injuries in PIH. Stepwise regressions identified the dynamic response variables producing the strongest relationships with MPS. For the flat anvil drop test, dominant linear acceleration had the strongest relationship with MPS (R² = 0.960), while there were no significant predictors of MPS from the PIH head-to-ice reconstructions. Rotational velocity had the strongest relationship for the 30° (R² = 0.978) and 45° Anvil Drop Tests (R² = 0.977), while rotational acceleration had the strongest relationship for the PIH head-to-boards reconstructions (R² = 0.649). Resultant rotational acceleration had the strongest relationship for the medium compliance ram test (R² = 0.671), the high compliance ram test (R² = 0.850) and the PIH shoulder-to-head reconstructions (R² = 0.763).

The flat anvil drop test results indicate that falls on a flat, rigid surface induce primarily linear acceleration of the head. Standards should continue using this type of test to ensure helmets prevent skull fracture and focal TBI. Ice hockey helmets should also be evaluated using an angled anvil drop test and a collision ram test, representing two unique head impact events known to cause concussive injuries. The 45° Anvil Drop Test provided a closer representation of concussive head-to-boards impacts in PIH, with rotational velocity producing the strongest relationship with MPS. For collision impacts, the Medium Compliance Ram Test yielded repeatable impact conditions while the High Compliance Ram Test provided a closer representation of real-world concussive shoulder-to-head impacts. For these pneumatic ram tests, rotational acceleration produced the strongest relationship with MPS. The information in this thesis may be used by standards organizations when designing future ice hockey helmet tests.