USA Hockey's Dr. Alan Ashare Named President Of Hockey Equipment Certification Council

USA Hockey today announced that Dr. Alan B. Ashare has been named president and chief executive officer of the Hockey Equipment Certification Council , effective immediately. One of the nation's foremost experts in the prevention of spinal cord and other sports-related injuries, Dr. Ashare has made precious contributions to the USA Hockey Coaching Education Program on and off the ice.

I am honored by my peers to be elected HECC president, and I hope to continue in the successful tradition of the previous leaderships, said Dr. Ashare. It is very important to ensure that the protective equipment and safety products our players wear adhere to a standard of safety. During the past 20 years Dr. Ashare has contributed significantly to the Newton Youth Hockey program, including serving as its president for eight years. Certified as an Advanced Level coach through USA Hockey, Ashare has also served as a member of the Massachusetts Hockey Board of Directors since 1985 and a member of the USA Hockey Board of Directors since 1988. He was chairman of the Certification Committee of HECC from 1988 to 1997, and has overseen the USA Hockey Safety and Protective Equipment Committee since 1988.

Dr. Ashare lent his experience to the USA Hockey Body Checking Task Force in 1993 and to the USA Hockey Injury Surveillance Task Force in 1994. In 1995, following the death of a high school player, he organized the first national conference on potential risks of blunt chest trauma. Following a paralyzing injury to Boston University freshman Travis Roy the same year, he proposed the USA Hockey Heads-Up Hockey Program. The program focuses on the prevention of head and spinal cord injuries and an accompanying kit provides the information, advice and techniques needed to reduce this risk. Each season Dr. Ashare trains more than 1,000 coaches to respond to emergency medical situations and promotes USA Hockey's life-saving CPR patch program.

In 2001, he received the Walter Yaciuk Award, presented by Easton, from the USA Hockey Coaching Education Program for his outstanding contributions during many years of service as a volunteer. HECC works closely with USA Hockey for the reduction of injuries in the sport of hockey. The council consists of a 12-member executive committee, which reviews standards for hockey safety equipment in American amateur hockey. HECC provides third-party testing of equipment for compliance with these standards, and the HECC-approved sticker placed on a piece of hockey equipment indicates that the product was manufactured in compliance with strong safety and performance standards. HECC remains involved in USA Hockey's Heads-Up Hockey Program and also underwrites research to help prevent hockey-related injuries.

The term of the presidency is one year, with a maximum of five terms. Dr. Ashare is preceded in the presidency of HECC by Dr. Henry D. Cross III, Dr. C. Dewey Morehouse, Dr. Cosmo Castaldi and Dr. Earl F. Hoerner, respectively.

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USA Hockey's Dr. Alan Ashare Named President Of Hockey Equipment Certification Council