NHL Legend and YWCA Launch PSA Highlighting the Shocking Rate of Concussion from Domestic Violence

With round two of the NHL playoffs underway, hockey is top-of-mind for many. The high stakes mean that the games are more physical than ever, leading to a greater risk of injuries like concussions. 

Hockey has dominated the conversation around concussions for the past decade, leading to greater protocols and treatment for many athletes. But there’s another, lesser-known leading cause of concussions in Canada: 

For every NHL concussion, it’s estimated that more than 7,000 women in Canada suffer the same injury as a result of violence by an intimate partner, according to recent calculations by YWCA.

YWCA Metro Vancouver, an organisation committed to the well-being of women, girls and gender-diverse peoples, has partnered with former NHL All-Star Trevor Linden on a new public service announcement to highlight the shocking rate of concussion from violence by an intimate partner.

Concussions are the leading cause of brain injury in Canada — and concussions sustained by intimate partner violence are a historically taboo topic that often goes unreported, underreported and untreated. 

“We knew that comparing a well known cause of concussion, hockey, to a shocking and overlooked cause of concussion, intimate partner violence, would be a smart way to address the need for support and action. Through the comparison to NHL concussions, we’re trying to bring attention to a need for increased research, better pathways for treatment, and more support for people who have experienced a brain injury as a result of intimate partner violence,” said Amy Juschka, director of communications and advocacy at YWCA Metro Vancouver. 

“In sports, concussions happen on prime time live TV with millions of people watching,” said Morgan Tierney, partner and executive creative director at Rethink. “We wanted to draw parallels to those publicised injuries as a reminder of what’s happening every day behind closed doors.”

Morgan added: “To make the misdirect land, we had to ensure that the story rang true when read from either perspective.”

YWCA and its partners are calling on Canadians to help raise awareness about intimate partner violence that hundreds of thousands of women, girls and gender-diverse people are experiencing every day. 

The awareness campaign will launch on May 16th and intends to raise awareness about the issue in recognition of Victims and Survivors of Crime Week between May 14th-20th.  

For more information, please visit the campaign microsite here. 

The campaign will be running in English and French on TV and social, with donated screentime from the CBC and Sportsnet.