38 Facts About Mark Aubry

Mark John Aubry was born on November 24,1954 and is a Canadian physician and sports medicine specialist.

Mark Aubry is the team physician for the Ottawa Senators, and serves as the chief medical officer of both the International Ice Hockey Federation, and Hockey Canada.

Mark Aubry researches and lectures on concussions, plays a leadership role for safety in sport, and is an injury prevention activist in minor ice hockey.

Mark Aubry is a recipient of the Paul Loicq Award for his international work, the Dr Tom Pashby Sports Safety Fund Award for Canada, and the USA Hockey Excellence in Safety Award for the United States.

Mark Aubry will be inducted into the Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame in 2024.

Mark John Aubry was born on November 24,1954, in Noranda, Quebec, and learned to speak both English and French.

Mark Aubry attended Merivale High School, and played hockey, football and baseball at school.

Mark Aubry established a family medicine office in Hull, Quebec on September 18,1981.

Mark Aubry previously served as the team physician for the Ottawa 67's from 1996 to 2005, the Ottawa Rough Riders, the Ottawa Renegades, and the Ottawa Lynx.

Mark Aubry was a trainer on minor ice hockey teams from 1989 to 2000, chief medical officer for the Canadian team at the 1991 Winter Universiade, and CMO of Canada at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville.

Mark Aubry has spent significant time working in sports medicine, lecturing on injury prevention, and researching concussions and spinal cord injuries with respect to body checking in ice hockey.

Mark Aubry helped organize three symposiums on sports concussions, to assist doctors in identifying and treating concussions.

Mark Aubry was one of the physicians consulted for the 2011 report Brain Injury Guide for Youth, and was one of the medical experts that helped write the module Making Head Way in Sport released in 2014, for the Coaching Association of Canada to educate on when it is okay to return to play.

Mark Aubry has spoken against focusing too much on one sport at a young age, as it has not only "taken the fun out of it", but has physical and cultural risks in not developing the person.

At the 2010 World Hockey Summit, Mark Aubry called for raising the minimum age for body checking to 13 or 14 and eliminating hits from behind altogether.

Mark Aubry called for instructing players that a body check is a way of separating an opponent from the puck, rather than continuing the perception of hockey as a rough sport where putting an opposing player through the boards is considered part of the game, given that no safety equipment could prevent serious injuries such as the Ronny Keller incident resulting in paraplegia.

Mark Aubry has testified before the Canadian International Trade Tribunal as an expert witness on the safety of hockey equipment.

Mark Aubry stated that awareness on the long-term effects of concussions increased partially because of the injuries to Sidney Crosby, but noted that physicians in the National Hockey League still disagree on when players are healthy enough to return to play.

Mark Aubry cited research that in-game concussion protocols need to be strictly adhered to, and reiterated the need to evaluate players at the first sign of possible concussion, rather than staying in the game.

Mark Aubry recommends a proactive approach to ensure players do not return to play too soon, citing recent studies on the numbers of concussions in minor ice hockey, and specifically at the peewee age level when players are typically exposed to body checking for the first time.

Mark Aubry spoke at the Canadian Academy of Sport and Exercise Medicine conference in August 2018, to address post-concussion syndrome, and methods for diagnosis.

Mark Aubry began working with the International Ice Hockey Federation in 1994, and has served as the CMO of the International Ice Hockey Federation since 1998.

Mark Aubry took over the CMO position from Wolf-Dieter Montag, who had served in the role since 1975.

Mark Aubry has focused his international efforts on reducing spinal injuries, concussions, and body checking in the youth age groups.

Mark Aubry sits on the medical commission of the International Olympic Committee.

In ice hockey at the 2002 Winter Olympics, Mark Aubry stated that the drug which Mattias Ohlund tested positive for was contained in the medicine given to him after eye surgery, and should not be considered a doping infraction.

In ice hockey at the 2014 Winter Olympics, Mark Aubry stated that Nicklas Backstrom's positive test for pseudoephedrine was a result of Zyrtec-D taken to treat sinusitis, and it should not be considered a doping infraction.

Since Mark Aubry became CMO, IIHF competitions and the Winter Olympic Games, ice hockey officials have been instructed to penalize all hits to the head, and are critiqued for any such missed calls.

Mark Aubry was one of the authors of the 2017 report Concussions in international ice hockey championships and olympic winter games between 2006 and 2015.

Mark Aubry later spoke at a CASEM conference, discussing how the faults in how the IIHF reports injuries, and the lessons to be learned.

Mark Aubry has served as the CMO of Hockey Canada since 2004, assisted in developing the Hockey Canada Safety Program, and is a part the safety program committee.

Mark Aubry pushed for Hockey Canada to adopt zero tolerance rules for hits to the head, whether accidental or not, and recommended that teams have seminars on the risks of concussions.

Mark Aubry has pushed for educating on ice officials for calling hitting from behind infractions, in addition to checks to the head.

Mark Aubry was given the Dr Tom Pashby Sports Safety Fund Award in 2006, for his research on concussions and spinal cord injuries.

Mark Aubry received the Mayor's Cup in 2011, for outstanding contributions to sport in Ottawa.

Mark Aubry was named the recipient of the Paul Loicq Award in 2014, for contributions to international ice hockey.

Mark Aubry received the USA Hockey Excellence in Safety Award in 2020.

Mark Aubry will be inducted into the Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame in 2024.