What Rowan's Law Requires
Rowan's Law (Concussion Safety), 2018 makes it mandatory for Ontario sport organizations to:
- Annual confirmation: athletes, coaches, team trainers and officials confirm every year that they have reviewed Ontario's Concussion Awareness Resources. Our club goes further than the legal minimum — every rostered player completes the sign-off each season.
- Concussion Code of Conduct: the club publishes its own code setting out rules of behaviour to support concussion prevention (below).
- Removal-from-Sport and Return-to-Sport protocols: written protocols for suspected concussions (below), with designated persons responsible for enforcing them.
Review Ontario's Concussion Awareness Resources (ontario.ca) — every player should read these before signing off each season.
Concussion Code of Conduct
Renfrew Creamery Kings Hockey Club — reviewed annually.
- I will play by the rules and respect opponents, officials, and teammates — dangerous play, hits from behind, and hits to the head have no place in our game.
- I will wear my helmet properly fastened at all times on the ice, and encourage teammates to do the same.
- I will speak up immediately if I suspect I have a concussion — or if I see signs in a teammate — and I will accept being removed from play without argument.
- I understand that a concussion is a brain injury: I will not hide symptoms to stay in a game, and I will not pressure an injured teammate to return.
- I will follow the club's Return-to-Sport protocol fully, including medical clearance, before returning to training, practice, or competition.
- I will treat recovery time as part of the game — no one returns until they are medically cleared.
Removal-from-Sport Protocol
If a player is suspected of having sustained a concussion during any club training, practice, or game:
- Immediate removal. The player is removed from play at once — no exceptions, no "one more shift."
- Who pulls the player: the on-ice captain, the game officials (referees), or the timekeeper act immediately. Removal never waits for anyone's arrival.
- Who makes the final call: the Club President (Chris Lyons) when present; when not present, the on-ice captain assumes the designated person's authority for that game.
- No same-day return. A removed player does not return to training, practice, or competition that day, and does not return at all except through the Return-to-Sport protocol below.
- Medical attention. The player is advised to see a physician or nurse practitioner promptly. Call 911 if the player lost consciousness, is unconscious, or had a seizure.
Return-to-Sport Protocol
- A player removed for a suspected concussion does not return to training, practice, or competition until medically cleared.
- Only a physician or nurse practitioner can medically assess the player and provide written confirmation of medical clearance to return — this is the law in Ontario for amateur sport.
- Return follows a graduated, step-by-step progression (rest → light activity → sport-specific exercise → full practice → competition), advancing only while symptom-free at each step. If symptoms return, the player drops back a step and seeks medical advice.
- The designated person (Club President, or the on-ice captain in their absence) confirms clearance has been received before the player returns.
These protocols are made available to all designated persons and to any player removed under them, as the law requires.
Annual Player Sign-Off
Every rostered player completes this each season — before registration is finalized. It confirms you have reviewed Ontario's Concussion Awareness Resources and this club's Concussion Code of Conduct within the past 12 months.
Your sign-off is emailed to the club and kept on file as your annual record under Rowan's Law.
Rowan's Law Day is commemorated in Ontario on the last Wednesday of each September, in memory of Rowan Stringer — raising awareness about concussions in sport.
