April 2015

After running nearly 2000 impact tests on 32 of the most popular hockey helmets, Virginia Tech researcher Stefan Duma came to some startling conclusions about the helmets’ effectiveness. Duma, who conducted a similar study on football helmets in 2011, found that almost all helmets were unsatisfactory in softening the impact of a concussion-inducing blow.

Based on the test results, Duma graded the 32 helmets on a 0-5 star scale. Only one helmet, the Warrior Crown 360, received a 3 star or “good” rating. From there, 6 helmets were given 2 stars or “adequate,” 16 received 1 star, and 9 got no stars at all. As a point of reference, in Duma’s 2011 study of football helmets, 20 of 26 helmets received 4 or 5 stars. Duma estimates that switching from a 1 star helmet to a 5 star can reduce concussions by up to 50%.

Duma’s recommendation is to make hockey helmets bigger and more like football helmets to allow for more cushioning.

The upside is that we can expect change. Duma’s first study led to a number of follow-up studies and substantial improvements to helmet design. Now that this highly publicized study has created demand for a more protective hockey helmet, look for helmet manufacturers to follow suit and produce some helmets that do what they’re supposed to do.

For more on Duma’s methods, check out the following video from Bloomberg Business: