NHLPA To Blame For Safety Issues, Not The NHL

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In 1979, after years of resistance by NHL players, the NHL made helmets mandatory for  players entering the league. Veteran players that were currently helmet-less would be allowed to let their locks fly if they chose, but the goal was to have all players wearing helmets within five to 10 years.

Players like Guy Lafleur, Ron Duguay, Brad Marsh and many others refused to get on-board with the change and continued to let their hair fly in the face of the NHL. In fact, the last player to not wear a helmet was none other than former Edmonton Oiler defenseman and head coach, Craig Mactavish, who went helmet-less until 1997.

Looking back, mandating helmets was a “no-brainer” (pardon the pun!), but it didn’t happen overnight and the decision was not without protest. Many NHL players argued a helmet was too hot to wear, others said helmets limited their vision, another argument was that the chin straps were too tight, more still felt helmets limited the identity of the players—all laughable excuses.

The players' loud protest fell on deaf ears, as the NHL witnessed enough injuries and—for the better safety of its greatest assets (the players)—the NHL put their foot down on this issue. Too hot, too heavy, limited vision, straps too tight, limited identity, who cares? It’s better than having your brains all over the ice, right?

Fast forward to 2009. Every NHL forward boasts huge shoulder pads, massive elbow pads, shin pads, padding for your butt, padding for your hips, padding for your crotch, etc, etc. Heck, most of the so-called “padding” is in fact made of hard plastic, hard enough to knock a player out cold if used as a weapon, which, at times, it is.

Through all the changes, through all the recommendations, one thing has remained constant; NHL players remained slow to react to change, many downright refuse, especially when it comes to helmets and, more recently, visors.

For the most part, the modern day hockey player is well-educated, a far cry from the lunchpail athlete of the 1960s and '70s. That said, no matter how educated today’s players seem on the surface, many NHL players are just as dumb as the players who roamed the ice before them.

How so? Well, for starters, there are still plenty of NHL players who refuse to wear a visor. What’s laughable is visors have been met with the same lame excuses that helmets once were. Too heavy, limits my vision, it fogs up...etc, etc.

What it amounts to is good old-fashioned macho chest-thumping, a Neanderthal attitude predicated on old-school attitudes and unfounded objections. It seems somewhere along the way somebody instilled in the players you were not a man if you wore a visor, so we see numerous cavemen patrolling the ice sans visor.

More troubling is the fact far too many NHL players refuse to wear their helmet properly. Many are inadequately padded and chin straps are rarely tightened, leaving players vulnerable to having their bucket knocked off by a heavy hit or upon impact with the ice.

The NHL has tried to institute rules to protect the players from themselves in this regard. Trouble is, the NHL Players Association and its members continually refute attempts by the NHL to mandate proper helmet use—and for what?

The reality is, most NHL players do not do up their chin straps, they’d rather let them dangle or hang loose, which is both foolish and an act of stupidity. Not doing your chin strap up properly is akin to wearing a seat belt improperly.

Think about it. When you need a seat belt to work in a crash, you need to be wearing it properly. Otherwise you risk being thrown from the car, leaving you vulnerable to considerable injury.

In many instances, it is not the actual hit that does the damage to a player. It's actually the impact on the skull when it hits the ice that causes the concussions and, in some cases, skull fractures.

Sadly, the NHL has been dragging its feet on this issue and, at some point, a star player may very well pay the price. Then, and only then, will the NHL stand a chance of making chin straps mandatory, which is sad.

When it comes to visors, the NHLPA prefers to let its members make an educated decision as to whether or not they wish to wear one. Fact is, any player that refuses to wear a visor is uneducated to a fault and should be required to sign a waiver (as the NHL once demanded NHL players to do if they refused to wear a helmet).

Many players and coaches have suggested the addition of helmets and visors has contributed to more violence and a lack of respect for opposing players in the game. To be fair, there is some evidence and truth to that statement, but I believe it has more to do with the gladitator-esque shoulder pads that all the players wear today.

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