I realize this injury happened years ago, but it’s one I still think about often. The high stick Pronger took to the eye didn’t just give him a concussion, it didn’t just ruin his career, it caused him serious daily pain and put him into a deep depression. Any light that hit his eye would leave it searing in pain. If players wore face shields like kids who play hockey do, this would never have happened.
I don’t see why the league doesn’t implement this. Is it too soft for them? Are they worried people are gonna think that hockey players are wimps for protecting their face? Football players do. They aren’t wimps.
The goalie who made a first goalie mask got benched for it. I love hockey but the whole tough guy thing is just plain dumb. Looking back on days of old goalies, we think they’re crazy for getting in front of the net without a mask. Why hasn’t that ideology transferred over to the players we love so much?
Neck guards and face shields should be worn by every player. There’s absolutely no need for any of these kinds of meaningless injuries to still happen in the game.
Let me know yalls thoughts.
by Oranana69
40 Comments
The wildest part to me is not that players don’t do it it’s that they literally can’t. A full face shield/cage is against the rules in the NHL.
I think every player wears a half shield now?
I often think of Bryan Berard when it comes to eye injuries in the NHL
It should be up to them
Since 2013, new players have to wear visors. They’re not optional. Only like 6 guys left who are still around who don’t have to. Most will be gone in a couple years. Full face is overkill. Let it go.
No
They should implement a rule requiring all players to wear a full suit of armor
Not a bad idea.
He didn’t have a visor. Unless you came into the league after 2005? 2006. Heck McTavish didn’t wear a helmet into the 90’s. He was still grandfathered in under the helmet less days
There’s like three players who don’t wear face shields, what a stupid post
Amazing I came across this post after seeing Zegras got hit in the face with a puck today
bro what are you talking about. 99% of the league wears visors and the guys who don’t will be retired soon
Face shields were mandated several years ago. They were grandfathered in (players who didn’t wear them and were already in the league don’t have to put them on) but there is only like 5-6 players left now.
I bet Philly hates this post.
Thing to remember is that under 18 it’s required for a full shield, now as for the adult leagues, their doing the visor via grandfathering in them, and I think they’re going to do full one day…..
You can always tell the people who have never played a competitive hockey game without a mask.
The amount of elbows, hands, and sticks that you don’t get to the head is amazing. When you’re surrounded by other players on the ice that also understand how things work and what they’re doing, there’s incentive to actually pay attention to keeping elbows down and your stick from flying all over the place.
The NHL isn’t like your men’s league when you get a stick blade across your cage 5 times a night from weekend warriors losing their balance near you.
Even if they did bring it in it likely would be like when helmets became mandatory – existing nhl players were grandfathered and only new players weee required to wear them. Personally, I’d like to see them mandatory so they could get rid of the stupid high sticking rule that is administered very badly.
Nope. They already wear visors.
It would be bad for fighting unless they get rid of the no taking your helmet off rule. Most players support fighting so idk if I’d want the league to go against their wishes
Should be the players choice.
Until 1940’s nfl didn’t require helmets and the face guard single bar not until 50’s. Part of the reason for slow adoption of protective gear has been because materials weren’t much good at actually protecting players. With new materials and designs there is no valid reason not to be fully protected any longer. One hockey player I know of didn’t adopt the wearing of a helmet because he knew he was a fringe player (his explanation) and he didn’t want anything to slow him down. A head first crash into the boards cost him his career and the resulting depression, probably, his life. You can’t leave it up to the players to decide because half of them are below average players (
No, I want them to go backwards to no helmet. So the mask idea I don’t like at all.
When you say “face shields” are you referring to Visors or the actual full cage/shield? Because Visors have already been grandfathered in and made mandatory. There only less than a dozen players in the league still not wearing them. Jamie Benn, Ryan Reeves, Ryan O’Reilly, and a few others.
If they choose to
There is a workaround for players that want to do it. They just need a doctor’s order for it.
The players have a union, known as the NHLPA so the league can’t just implement a rule like that. Plus, the NHLPA and players would never go for it. Visors are sufficient.
Visor is enough Imo.
I mean, how many guys in a random men’s league in Burnaby or Calgary or Mississauga wear full visors or cages?
It’s not many, although it is more than it used to be
I did bc I used to work in a communications industry – couldn’t risk losing teeth or whatever
I saw how many scratches were on my half visor, realized I couldn’t afford to take a stick to the mouth and miss a bunch of work, went with the full cage.
But most guys wear a half.
That’s just the choice guys make as they become adults.
Why do you care? These are grown men. Let them play how they want.
No
Player choice. Don’t force it.
It’s personal choice but if you choose not to wear visor it’s on ur risk and if you get a career threatening injury coz of it u should forfeit money
Please don’t make this an idea. Take this post down. Hockey is risky, and Pronger knew that. He once made a joke about Ryan Smyth having his teeth knocked out by a puck while standing in front of the net. Pronger was also brutal to his opponents. This is a tough game, and a risky one. It’s one of the reasons they get paid millions.
I think full face shields will definitely be here someday. It’s inevitable.
At least give them the option to have a cage
Leave it up to the player. They’re adults
Let’s just put everyone in bubble wrap.
They are grown men let them do what they want, obviously tons of people here have never played hockey
Only the ugly ones, and the ones that don’t want to become ugly.
They really should. Forget about the macho idea….you have guys on the ice making millions of dollars a year. Players who are already forbidden from riding motorcycles or skiing (and a ton of other activities) because of the risk of injury.
Wearing full facial shield would prevent a ton of injuries, and keep the star players on the ice (which is what fans pay for).