In most sports which are age-grouped annually, players born in the early part of a grouping period are more frequently found in subsequent categories over others from their cohort. This phenomenon is called the relative age effect (RAE). The goal of this research is to determine the impact of shifting the eligibility period on the RAE in elite minor ice hockey players in Québec. From 2002 to 2008, the reference date for allocating categories began October 1. In 2008, it was moved back to January 1. The RAE is reported for 6 seasons, 3 before and 3 after the reference cut-off date was moved back to January 1. Data from the 2005-2006 to 2010-2011 seasons were available for 13,982 minor ice hockey players. The RAE was present in each season before and after the reference date shift in 2008, as indicated by a significant over-representation of players from the 1st quarter of each competitive year whether it began October 1 or January 1. As an example, players born in the first trimester (October to December) of the eligibility year 2007-2008 represented 44.94 % of all Midget AAA players. After the shift, players from the first trimester (now January to March) of the 2010-2011 season were representing 41.57 % of all Midget AAA players and players from the fourth quarter (now October to December) were representing 12.16 %. Results confirmed the presence of a RAE in elite minor ice hockey whatever the beginning of the eligibility period. The RAE is a robust phenomenon and its impact is re-established rather rapidly when the cut-off date is changed.
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