The good old hockey game
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* Paul MacDonald

I agree entirely with the comments from Mitchell Shulman. Keep playing but play smart. Play safe. Keep in mind, however, that maximum target heart rate is 220 minus the player's age. If I am 44, my maximum target rate is 176, and at the peak exercise target rate of 85%–90%, it would be 150–158. See [www.hockeyheart.com](http://www.hockeyheart.com).

In the second letter, Eric Alan Cohen is correct in that we wanted to study men at risk for cardiac events (age >> 35), but several younger players were anxious to participate and measure their heart rates. This raises the question of volunteer bias. Did those participating do so expecting to do well or to do poorly?

**Paul MacDonald** Department of Cardiology Cape Breton Regional Hospital Sydney, NS