MSHSL leaders open to support new policy requiring hockey coaches to wear helmets during practice

Minnesota high school sports officials said they would support a new policy that addresses equipment for coaches when on the ice following the recent head injury of a Twin Cities coach.

Jason Jensen, 44, was working with the Holy Family girls team in Victoria on Jan. 31 when a player slipped and fell into him and knocked him to the ice. He was not wearing a helmet.

As of Friday morning, he remained in critical condition with a brain injury.

Bob Madison, senior associate director of the Minnesota State High School League, said the league will examine helmet rules for coaches and ask member schools: “What would you like us to do as a governing body?”

The MSHSL does not currently have a helmet requirement for coaches during practice.

“If our membership says that they would like all coaches to wear helmets on the ice, we would obviously look at that. I don’t know why we wouldn’t support that,” Madison said.

The National Federation of High School Associations writes the rules for varsity competition among student-athletes of high school age in the U.S. Those rules do not address equipment for coaches when on the ice, spokesperson Bruce Howard said.

Madison said the MSHSL strongly recommends that coaches wear helmets.

“We have had schools that immediately said their coaches, their employees, are going to wear helmets on the ice. We’re going to strongly support that. I think that’s a really good direction to go, minus any policy at this time.”

While an official policy from the MSHSL regarding helmets is still in its preliminary stages, that doesn’t preclude individual schools from taking action to minimize risk, Madison said.

“Member schools have taken it upon themselves to say the appropriate thing for us to do at this time is to require it locally and to put that in place because we all want our folks to be protected as best they can,” he said.

In 2006, USA Hockey, the governing body of the sport in the U.S., instituted a rule requiring coaches to wear helmets for on-ice activities. Minnesota Hockey, a part of USA Hockey, strengthened the rule in 2018 by implementing a mandatory 30-day suspension for any coach not abiding by the pre-existing rule.

The rule applies to youth teams in Minnesota sanctioned by USA Hockey. It does not apply to high school members of the MSHSL.

Minnesota Hockey Executive Director Joe Delich said Friday the governing body’s policy has been “readily adopted in the community.”

“Minnesota Hockey [and] USA Hockey for a long time has understood coaches wearing helmets is a good idea. We’re really strong advocates of it and are strong advocates of it at every level,” Delich said.

Kelly Jensen told the Minnesota Star Tribune she hopes her husband’s injury will lead to the MSHSL adding the requirement.

“Gosh, I hope so,” she said. “So that way it doesn’t happen to someone else.”