The Groin Awakens, Why Healing a Groin Injury in Hockey Is Non-Negotiable
In hockey, everyone loves to talk about hat tricks, big hits, and dirty dangles — but there’s a silent assassin that haunts players at every level: the dreaded groin injury. Whether you’re chasing a loose puck or pulling off a tight turn, your groin muscles are doing serious work behind the scenes.
When they give out, and you don’t heal properly? Bad news. Here’s why taking groin injuries seriously is crucial, with five points, stats, and a few laughs (because laughing won’t pull your groin).
1. Groin Injuries Are the #1 Soft Tissue Problem in Hockey
A study in The American Journal of Sports Medicine found that groin strains account for up to 20% of all hockey injuries — the most common non-contact injury.
Those quick stops, cuts, and edge work hammer your adductors (inner thigh muscles).
Fact: NHL players miss an average of 10–21 days for a moderate groin strain — and much longer if it’s a complete tear.
Lesson: A sore groin isn’t “just tightness” — it’s a major warning flare.
2. Healing Improperly = Chronic, Career-Long Problems
Research shows that 33% of athletes with groin injuries who return too early develop chronic groin pain that lasts years — even after they retire.
If you think playing through a groin pull is “gritty,” just wait until you’re limping around the office 10 years later like you fought a bear.
Healing fully now saves you endless misery later.
3. Your Skating Power Depends on It
Groin muscles are critical for crossover power, acceleration, and lateral movement.
Studies in Sports Health show that after a groin strain, players who didn’t complete full rehab lost 10–15% of their stride efficiency — and many never regained it.
You can’t dangle if you can’t even push off. Healing properly means getting your wheels back — and maybe your hands too.
4. Partial Healing = Way Higher Re-Injury Rates
Here’s the scary stat: up to 30% of athletes who rush back after a groin injury re-tear it within 8 weeks (British Journal of Sports Medicine).
Translation: if you rush back thinking you’re fine after one bag skate, you’re basically flipping a coin on whether you’ll end up worse than before.
Commit to the full timeline, even if the boys are chirping you in the group chat.
5. It Affects Everything – Not Just Skating
A bad groin impacts shooting mechanics, balance, body checks, and even your ability to just stand upright comfortably.
Ever tried battling in front of the net while feeling like one leg is going to fall off? Spoiler alert: it doesn’t end well.
Protect your foundation — because everything you do on the ice runs through your hips and core.
Final Shift:
Groin injuries aren’t glamorous to talk about — but properly healing them is the difference between dominating the ice and dominating the injury list.
Be smart: Treat your groin like gold, not like a throwaway stick.
Take a look at our article for the best groin injury recovery must-haves https://followthepuck.com/2025/04/28/groin-injury-5-b…eturn-to-the-ice/
