Time to make visors mandatory?

[dash]

I think the time has come...All guys in Canadian junior hockey are wearing them and while they won't stop all pucks and high sticks, they'll stop the majority of them.

The league should grandfather them in like they did with helmets (remember when Craig MacTavish was the last player who didn't wear a helmet).

Thoughts?

 

[PhillyPhaithful48]

I think they will be grandfathered in eventually. I give it a few years though. The vets who don't wear them now will absolutely refuse. Grandfathering it is the way to go.

 

[quoipourquoi]

I think the time was five years ago, dash.

 

[Destroydacre]

I agree, I've been in favor of this for awhile. As Dash said, they're required in juniors and a lot of players now keep wearing them in the pros anyway.

 

[Slimpikins]

I'm fine with it as long as they teach players to ditch the helmet when they fight.

 

[Darkstone42]

I might be on the extreme end of this, but I think full face visors should be required. If they get the anti-fog ones, players won't lose any visibility, and I'm sure they can afford those. Getting hit in the teeth can give a person a concussion just as easily as getting hit in the forehead. But if they even just grandfather in normal visors, I'll be happy.

 

[Comeds]

I'd wear as much equipment as I could if I played. I'd especially would want to protect my eyes. Having said that I think it should be up to the players.

 

[elocomotive]

I might be on the extreme end of this, but I think full face visors should be required. If they get the anti-fog ones, players won't lose any visibility, and I'm sure they can afford those. Getting hit in the teeth can give a person a concussion just as easily as getting hit in the forehead. But if they even just grandfather in normal visors, I'll be happy.

Totally agree. Seems like there is a lot of technological development that could improve some type of full face shield as well. NFL players have full face coverage, and they don't have a frozen chunk of rubber being fired at 100 mph at their faces. When I played, we were required to wear full face protection - I used to wear the cage and it never impeded my vision. Even with a cage, your eyes adjust and you don't even notice it out there after using it a couple times. With much stronger plastics available now, this seems way past due.

 

[puckhead]

I might be on the extreme end of this, but I think full face visors should be required. If they get the anti-fog ones, players won't lose any visibility, and I'm sure they can afford those. Getting hit in the teeth can give a person a concussion just as easily as getting hit in the forehead. But if they even just grandfather in normal visors, I'll be happy.

In rec hockey anyways, I find the guys who wear full face shields are generally idiots who have absolutely no regard for the safety of others.
Just because they feel nice and safe behind their cage, they seem to think it's OK to skate around with their stick at chin level.

There's such a thing as too protected.

 

[PhillyPhaithful48]

I might be on the extreme end of this, but I think full face visors should be required. If they get the anti-fog ones, players won't lose any visibility, and I'm sure they can afford those. Getting hit in the teeth can give a person a concussion just as easily as getting hit in the forehead. But if they even just grandfather in normal visors, I'll be happy.

As a player, I hate hate hate wearing full face coverage. I wore a clear shield in high school that always fogged up, even when you spray it with anti-fog. In college I went back to a cage and hated that the most. They really restrict vision and head movement compared to a half visor.

For all other leagues (usually less prominent roller and ice leagues as well as beer leagues, you are allowed to wear whatever you want on your face as long as their is a helmet. I don't really see too many injuries in these leagues, as you might expect. Guys really know how to protect themselves. You just need to be aware of your surroundings. If someone on the other team has reckless disregard for others, you gotta know what his tendencies are and stay clear of swinging sticks and wild shots.

Of course all of this might mean nothing to guys after I admit that I do not where a cup either....

 

[PhillyPhaithful48]

In rec hockey anyways, I find the guys who wear full face shields are generally idiots who have absolutely no regard for the safety of others.
Just because they feel nice and safe behind their cage, they seem to think it's OK to skate around with their stick at chin level.

There's such a thing as too protected.

That and guys who still use $10 pieces of lumber as sticks and have no problem whacking your stick and you. Breaking a $200 stick with a slash means nothing to them.

 

[Automattic]

That and guys who still use $10 pieces of lumber as sticks and have no problem whacking your stick and you. Breaking a $200 stick with a slash means nothing to them.

My Sher-Wood says Hello....

 

[PhillyPhaithful48]

My Sher-Wood says Hello....

lol as long as your sherwood isn't slashing opponent's sticks with force...then I say Hello back

 

[Eddie_Shack]

As a player, I hate hate hate wearing full face coverage. I wore a clear shield in high school that always fogged up, even when you spray it with anti-fog. In college I went back to a cage and hated that the most. They really restrict vision and head movement compared to a half visor.

For all other leagues (usually less prominent roller and ice leagues as well as beer leagues, you are allowed to wear whatever you want on your face as long as their is a helmet. I don't really see too many injuries in these leagues, as you might expect. Guys really know how to protect themselves. You just need to be aware of your surroundings. If someone on the other team has reckless disregard for others, you gotta know what his tendencies are and stay clear of swinging sticks and wild shots.

Of course all of this might mean nothing to guys after I admit that I do not where a cup either....

FUCKING NEG REPPED!!!

 

[PhillyPhaithful48]

FUCKING NEG REPPED!!!

19 years of hockey and counting. Have never gotten hit in the promised land...

 

[quoipourquoi]

I might be on the extreme end of this, but I think full face visors should be required.

Or at the very least, optional. Personally, and this will make me sound like a total pussy, I won't play without a full cage, and if I could get away with it, I'd wear the Pat Lafontaine special. My teeth cost a lot of money; I'd like to not have to buy new ones.

 

[Automattic]

lol as long as your sherwood isn't slashing opponent's sticks with force...then I say Hello back

No, I'm more like the guy barely keeping up hooking your ribs like I was diggin' in at Tony Roma's while breathing heavy out what might possibly seem like six different orafices...






(that was the longest sentence I wrote today)

 

[Eddie_Shack]

19 years of hockey and counting. Have never gotten hit in the promised land...

I always wore a Cup... every game, except for one. I forgot it at home, on the same day our regular goalie didn't show up. I was the sub, so I had to strap up and play net with no jock. I almost made it all the way, until I took a hard wrister with five minutes left in the game. It hit the fucking tip, and the balls, all at once. I "covered the puck", and then pretended like I was having equipment issues to buy some time (huh huh huh, "equipment issues", huh huh huh). I couldn't breath, I wanted to puke, and I've never felt that pain outside of the time I broke some ribs. My legs shook the rest of the game and when I got to the bench my coach said I looked white as a ghost.

And that was a day that will live in infamy.

 

[Eddie_Shack]

Also it felt like I had to pee all the time for about a week after.

 

[Darkstone42]

I'm sorry to hear all of that, Eddie. I've had some close call playing goaltender in floor hockey, but that little plastic ball won't do nearly the damage a frozen rubber puck would do.

In any case, while I feel strongly that visors should be required, there is an issue about which I feel more strongly concerning equipment, and if you've read my posts, you likely already know what it is. But before I get to that, my argument on making visors mandatory is this:

Sure, the players are all individuals who feel more comfortable playing one way than another, but they're also professionals, and if they're worth their weight in gold, they'll adjust to the visor. You may also argue that if they want to put themselves on the line, that's their prerogative, but I disagree. The players are getting paid substantial amounts of money by the owners. The owners are the players' bosses. Now, if the owners decided that visors are an appropriate means of protecting their investments, then the players best wear visors. If I were an owner, I would require visors of my players, or else I would cut them. Why? I'm protecting my investment. Visors reduce the chance of concussion significantly, since they eliminate an entire region of the face that can be directly contacted by the puck, a shoulder, an elbow, etc., thus distributing the force of those blows over a greater area, reducing their effect. Moreover, the risk of serious permanent injury, such as loss of sight or brain trauma, is also greatly reduced. Between those two things, I've just protected my investment, and more importantly, a human individual.

Now the point that stirs me more than visors is that very few, if any, NHL players wear their helmets properly. You can see them pushing their helmets back off their foreheads, popping them on and off easily, etc. I think that before every game, the officials should make a check on the helmets, much like a boot check in rugby or soccer. If the official can see space between the chinstrap and its intended point of contact, an equipment manager must immediately fix the strap. The official would also shake the top of the helmet with his hand, and if it rattles, the pads must be tightened. If the official sees signs of either issue during the game, an automatic unsportsmanlike conduct penalty will be assessed (much like not having your jersey tied down when you're in a fight).

Helmets are great and can really protect athletes from injuries, but when they're not worn properly, they're not tremendously useful. There would be a lot fewer head injuries if players just wore their helmets the right way, I guarantee it.