This study aims to identify and quantify injury diagnoses, locations, mechanisms, and trends for a Canadian Intercollegiate Athletic Union (CIAU) male ice hockey team between the 1984--85 and 2000--2001 seasons. Injury rates were assessed by type, position, period, zone, game type, and time loss. Also described are the interactions between injury location and diagnosis, as well as the relationships between time loss, injury location, and diagnosis. This study was based on injury reports provided by the ice hockey staff, which followed a standard injury reporting protocol over the last 17 years. The injury rate of 18.9 injuries per 1000 player hours, third highest among intercollegiate sports, increased slightly over the period covered. The shoulder, face, thigh, and knee were the most injured areas. The number of lacerations decreased, while contusions, sprains, and strains increased, causing the most time loss. Concussions represented the fourth greatest cause of time loss although it accounted for 6.6% of diagnosed injuries. Checking was by far the greatest cause of injury. The examination of the anatomical location-diagnosis interaction revealed that most lacerations affected the face (chin), instability-related injuries (i.e. sprains, strains, and dislocations) involved mostly the knee, groin, and shoulder, respectively. Fractures were localized mostly to the fingers. It seems, therefore, that certain anatomical locations are more susceptible to specific injury types. The fact that the injury rate increased over time may be an indication of the increasing intensity of the game, players' aggressive attitudes and behaviors in response to equipment innovations, or utilization beyond design limitations. Players already have a gladiator-like appearance, and unless we choose to define hockey as a gladiator sport, some important rule, attitude, and equipment design changes will have to be implemented.

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