text: what kinds of injuries can occur from playing hockey and are there health issues should you be aware of?   the risk of injury from hockey is pretty much the same as you face with any other sport.  the most serious possibilities are head and neck injuries and work their way down to the less serious things such as bumps and bruises.  usa hockey, the governing body of ice hockey in the usa from the olympic team down to the little guys, has done a pretty good job of educating players, coaches and officials of the risks and how to prevent them.  they have also made a priority of enacting rules to prevent the infractions that cause the most serious injuries such as checking from behind.  i have played for 35 years and have had my share of stitches but thus far (knock wood!) nothing serious.  there have been some well publicized injuries such as travis roy who suffered a spinal cord injury in his first college game and clint malarchuk who had his jugular vein sliced in an nhl game.  these are extremely rare occurrances and given the quality of hockey equipment these days, the risks involved are no greater than or even less than any other sport.  i do not have the numbers in front of me, but i have read that there are more injuries annually from both soccer and football.  there is one health issue that has popped up recently in hockey although more-so in other sports where players share a locker room and showers, flesh-eating bacteria.  it is much more prevalent in wrestling with the close contact and minimal clothes and equipment but there have been recent cases reported from hockey locker rooms as well.  from a general health standpoint, visit your doctor and have a physical.  if you are in reasonably good health there is no reason you cannot play hockey.  it's a great game and there are levels of hockey out there for everyone these days.